DoT thanks Bicam leaders for approving tourism funding

For their support for the tourism budget and for recognizing the importance of sustained and strategic investment in the sector, following the approval of the final allocation, the Deparment of Tourism (DoT)  expressed its sincere appreciation to the members of the Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam), particularly Senator Loren Legarda and Senator Win Gatchalian and Representative Rufus Rodriguez.

The DoT underscores a well-established and evidence-based reality: investment in tourism is not expenditure alone — it is a growth multiplier with measurable national returns, taking guidance from the Bicameral Conference Committee process.

The DoT stressed that even with a much-reduced branding and promotions budget of only P100 million in 2024 — modest by international standards — the Philippine tourism sector generated P3.86 trillion in total tourism receipts, including a record high P700 billion from foreign visitors, contributed 8.9 percent to national GDP, and supported approximately 16 million tourism-related jobs.

Tourism has continued to deliver steady income and employment across regions, providing a reliable source of livelihood for millions of Filipinos, despite economic and external challenges.

The outcomes have sustained micro, small, and medium enterprises and strengthened communities where tourism remains a primary economic pillar.

The approved increase in funding for tourism promotions allows the epartment to scale proven, data-driven campaigns, strengthen market presence in priority and emerging destinations, and sustain demand across regions.

These promotional investments are designed to be targeted, time-bound, and performance-measured, ensuring that public funds translate into visitor arrivals, longer stays, and higher tourism receipts.

“Investments in tourism branding, product development, and promotion extend well beyond the tourism sector. They stimulate demand across transportation, agriculture and fisheries, retail, creative industries, and local governments, ensuring that economic activity reaches regions nationwide. Assessments that focus solely on individual budget lines, without accounting for these broader and cascading returns, risk understating tourism’s role in sustaining an interconnected economic ecosystem,” the DoT statement said.

Further, the department, headed by Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, reiterated that they also greatly appreciate legislative support for the tourism budget grounded in data, experience, and a clear understanding of tourism’s long-term contribution to national growth and employment.

Fiscal oversight is most effective when guided by evidence, outcomes, and impact. The true measure of tourism investment is seen in jobs created, regions developed, and livelihoods strengthened.