Travel ‘unstoppable,’ says tourism stakeholder

‘You hear it, you see it, you feel it; the time of the Philippines is now. The possibilities for Philippine tourism are endless.’

With tourist arrivals in the country nearing the government's target, a stakeholder in the tourism industry said this should be capitalized by the industry, noting that indeed travel is unstoppable three years after the devastation of the tourism travel industry by the global contagion.

During the first-ever Travel Sale Expo at SM Megamall Megatrade Hall, Michelle Taylan of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association and the organizer of said event said the expo will expand opportunities for travel as the country navigates to a new normal one step at a time.

"This endeavor is a product started from falling in love and committed to the beauty of what I love to do, and that is promoting tourism to create a business that will bring jobs to many people that would help them to make a living," Taylan said.

She said she hoped the event, aimed to prosper and grow further yearly, would bring interest and encourage more people to travel both domestically and internationally, as there are emerging trends for the travel industry, such as offerings for low-cost travel, leisure travel that caters to the arts and culture and visits to indigenous heritage, premium trips for transformation and experiences, and eco-tourism travels that would create a positive impact to the environment.

"Despite the global crisis and unpredictable weather that we have been having, the interest and optimism for travel remains. Needless to say, there are still risks present and with the tourism sector considered as the main economic driver, we must do our part in keeping our businesses healthy. This expo aims to assist and support our growing economy," Taylan said.

Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Cristina Garcia Frasco, who was the event's keynote speaker, said the recoup of the country's tourism industry is attainable this year, regaining huge tourism sales made during the pre-pandemic stage in 2019, which was at 8.3 million tourists (including non-resident OFs), largely from Korea, China, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.

Travel receipts reached $9.3 billion in 2019, up by 20.8 percent from the tourist receipts of $7.7 billion in 2018.

Frasco also outlined the programs and projects that are currently being implemented such as the establishment of Tourist Rest Areas across the country, the enhancement of airports and seaports, and the incorporation of the Filipino brand piloted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, as well as the provision of internet connection to at least 94 tourism destinations as part of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Tourism and the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

She also relayed projects in the pipeline such as the creation of a Tourist Lifecycle App, the establishment of a Tourist Call Center, and the anticipated signing of an agreement with the Department of National Defense and the Department of the Interior Labor and Government recognizing the necessity of ensuring peace and security in tourist sites.

With many of the projects already in full swing, Frasco made a fearless forecast of full domestic recovery this year.