Legarda lauds DOT for turning tourism promotions into sales leads

Loren Legarda on Tuesday commended the Department of Tourism for delivering measurable economic outcomes from its promotional campaigns, citing record tourism receipts, strong domestic travel growth, and gains in emerging destinations.

Legarda made the remarks during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Tourism, jointly held with the Committees on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, and Finance on 3 February 2026.

As vice chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, Legarda said the results show the value of sustained public investment in tourism, but stressed that promotional success must be matched by consistent policy implementation, particularly in air connectivity, airport upgrades, and route support, to ensure benefits reach regions outside Metro Manila.

Tourism Secretary Cristina Garcia-Frasco reported that Philippine tourism generated at least ₱3.86 trillion in combined international and domestic receipts, while supporting no less than 16.4 million Filipinos through direct and indirect employment.

She said domestic tourism reached 134 million trips in 2024, exceeding the pre-pandemic level of 122 million trips recorded in 2019.

Frasco also cited data from the World Travel and Tourism Council showing that the Philippines’ domestic tourism portfolio now ranks first in Southeast Asia, with an estimated value of at least US$70 billion.

Following the country’s hosting of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2026, the WTTC reaffirmed the Philippines’ standing as a leading tourism-driven economy in the region. Its latest economic impact report showed tourism contributed more than US$91 billion to the national economy, the highest gross domestic product contribution among 11 ASEAN countries, and accounted for about 23 percent of total national employment.

During ATF 2026, the Philippines also hosted the Travel Exchange, where 81 percent of participating sellers reported sales leads amounting to more than ₱1.4 billion generated in two days of business-to-business meetings.

“These figures show that DOT promotions are producing real economic results,” Legarda said. “They translate into jobs, livelihoods, and opportunities across our tourism communities.”

Legarda said the next challenge is converting sales leads into confirmed bookings, tour packages, and repeat visits. She called on the DOT, local government tourism offices, and industry stakeholders to work together on systematic conversion campaigns that track sales leads and ensure they translate into actual visitor arrivals and local income.

She also stressed that tourism growth should not be Manila-centric, noting that foreign visitors can enter through regional hubs such as Cebu and other provincial airports. She said this emerging-market focus, combined with a growing sales pipeline, supports targeted measures such as temporary promotional assistance for vulnerable routes and faster night-rating approvals and runway upgrades by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

During the hearing, Legarda pressed for specific next steps, including the submission of airline break-even data for turboprop routes, clear timelines for runway resurfacing and night-rating in priority destinations such as Antique, Busuanga or Coron, Siargao, and Catarman, and a DOT-led conversion plan to ensure outcomes from trade events like TRAVEX are closely monitored and realized.

“The DOT has built a measurable sales pipeline,” Legarda said. “What is needed now is matching policy, budget, and implementation so these gains truly reach every region.”