BUSINESS

DoT pitches Phl as ASEAN tourism investment hub

Carl Magadia · Jul 25, 2026, 12:17 AM

DOT Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the agency will expend particular efforts in promoting the country's five flagship Tourism Enterprise Zones in Palawan, Bataan, Bohol, Corregidor Island and Rizal Park to be anchors for regional development and future investments. Photo shows San VicenteFlagship Tourism Enterprise Zone in Palawan. — PHOTOGRAPH courtesy of dot/Facebook

Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay is calling 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 on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, 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.

An investment platform

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 into a stronger investment promotion and facilitation agency.