Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay called on ASEAN business leaders to invest in the Philippines, positioning tourism as a key driver of economic growth and regional development.

Speaking before foreign investors during an event organized by Ikhlas Capital at the Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros, Angara-Mathay said the Department of Tourism (DOT) is shifting its focus from promoting destinations to building investment-ready tourism hubs.

"We invite you to invest in a future where tourism becomes a stronger engine of growth," she said.

Drawing on her more than three decades at the Department of Trade and Industry, Angara-Mathay said tourism should be viewed as an investment platform that integrates infrastructure, connectivity, finance, technology, and private sector participation.

She said the DOT is pursuing a whole-of-economy approach to strengthen both physical and digital infrastructure while fostering public-private partnerships to unlock the country's tourism potential.

A key priority, she added, is transforming the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) into a stronger investment promotion and facilitation agency.

"We want TIEZA to become to tourism what PEZA and the BOI have become to industry," Angara-Mathay said.

The tourism chief highlighted the country's five flagship Tourism Enterprise Zones in Palawan, Bataan, Bohol, Corregidor Island, and Rizal Park as anchors for regional development and future investments.

She also encouraged investments in luxury and upscale hotels, integrated tourism developments, wellness and longevity destinations, convention and exhibition facilities, sustainable resorts, and cruise tourism.

The DOT is also seeking to expand higher-value tourism segments, including meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), education, wellness, retirement, sports, Halal, farm, and eco-tourism under its "Discover More to Love" campaign.

The event was attended by business leaders, policymakers, and investors from across ASEAN, along with Finance Secretary Frederick Go and Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda.