Manila readies grand tourism plan

The City of Manila is set to launch a tourism development plan designed to attract tourists to its oldest settlement and historical sites.

Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso earlier announced Charlie Dungo, Department of Tourism, Culture and Arts of Manila (DTCAM) head, said the plan situates the city’s tourist and historical sites in the right perspective and following an orderly itinerary.

This copies programs used in first-class historical sites in Europe and some Asian countries.

Dungo shared the mayor gave the project a thumb’s up when he broached the matter.

He said the mayor immediately gave the go-signal for the measure.

The Manila City Council, which is presided by Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, will put into motion the first-ever Tourism Development Plan 2020-2023.

Domagoso also recognized the DTCAM achievement of bagging the grand prize in the “Move Your Destination Forward!” video contest during the recently-concluded 21st National Convention of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines held last 29 October 2020.

The competition, held among members of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines, and the videos created for the contest were meant to present to the public, in various ways, different local tourist attractions to kickstart tourism amid the ongoing pandemic.

The City of Manila emerged as grand winner, followed by the town of Mauban, Quezon for Luzon, Negros Occidental for the Visayas and Davao del Norte for Mindanao.

The mayor said he will keep an open line with national government historical and tourism agencies to realize the city’s ambitious promotion plan.

“With Manila as the site of early development in the country, we need to work hand in hand with national government agencies, so that things will go well. In unity, there is progress,” Domagoso stated.