DOT, PATA commit to advance tourism

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2012 was official opened Wednesday at the SMX Convention Center with close to a thousand international and local participants composed of buyers, sellers, media representatives, and members of National Tourism Organizations from 52 countries.
At the opening media briefing, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. presented the  National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP), the country’s roadmap for tourism development, which aims to position the Philippines as a must-experience destination in Asia.  The NTDP seeks to achieve 10 million international visitor arrivals, employ 6.8 million workers in the tourism sector, and generate 1.9 trillion pesos in tourism  receipts by 2016.  Tourism development will be propelled through the converge among government agencies, local government units, legislators, private companies, and nonprofit organizations.
Secretary Jimenez was joined by Tourism Assistant Secretary Benito Bengzon Jr., who talked about the potential of cruise tourism.  “The good news is that the number of cruise passengers to the Philippines has been growing over the last several years as a result of the overall interest in Southeast Asia as the newest and most exciting cruise playground.  Ten to fifteen years back, it was almost unthinkable for big vessels with the capacities of 3,000 – 3,500 people to be homeported in any of the ports here.  Singapore is now a default homeport, and the Philippines has been able to get a fair share of the cruise passenger traffic.  In fact by October this year, Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas will be calling on the port of Boracay,” Assistant Secretary Bengzon said.
PATA Vice chairperson Paul Antonson said that “Tourism should be given focus as it is the most inclusive sector,” and congratulated Secretary Jimenez for the completion of the NTDP and phenomenal worldwide success of the It’s More Fun in the Philippines campaign.  On the other hand, PATA CEO Martin J. Craigs underscored the role of technology – the need to be electronic and mobile – in the development of tourism.  He also raised the importance of improving policy reforms to address issues on accessibility and connectivity.
When asked about the Philippine travel tax by the media, Secretary Jimenez explains that tax proceeds are divided among the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for use in government projects and programs.  The DOT, however, remains supportive of the efforts to make the Philippines more competitive such as the eventual removal of the travel tax in support of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) sub-regional cooperation initiative.
Secretary Jimenez also clarified as to why the Philippines has a smaller international visitor arrivals figure relative to other countries in ASEAN such as Malaysia and Thailand.  He said that the Philippines does not enjoy a connection of contiguous land mass where a foreign national can simply drive across a border and be counted among the international arrivals.
“Tourism is not just a game of counting people coming out of airplanes, of people setting foot on your tarmac.  What is more important is to build a business that creates opportunities and yields revenues.  On a revenue level, the Philippines is up to speed with the rest of ASEAN,” Secretary Jimenez enthused.
Secretary Jimenez shared that talks are underway for the implementation of a unified ASEAN visa, similar to the Schengen visa of the European Union (EU).  Five countries in the region already have data facilities for such initiative.  He added that the Philippines is working hard to  open the region to more foreign tourists, streamline travel requirements, and modernize the visa application processing.  Secretary Jimenez said that the huge energy for welcoming more tourists is the strong selling point for the country.  “Filipinos actually enjoy playing hosts.  It is not just another economic activity for most Filipinos – it is real enjoyment.  It is an area where we naturally excel,” the Secretary further adds.