Tourism plan seen completed this month

The Department of Tourism (DoT) expects to complete this month and submit to the Palace in July the country’s National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP).

“At least 6.3 million international arrivals and more than 32 million domestic travelers by 2016. The is the first cut of the stakeholder-developed goal of the NTDP,” Tourism Secretary Alberto A. Lim said in a press conference.

“The President considers tourism as a frontliner and revenue driver in reducing poverty so we want to make sure that the development of tourism is more sustainable and inclusive,” Lim said.

The vision of the country’s tourism roadmap is to become the “must experience” destination in Asia.

To achieve that, Lim said the department was focusing on three key strategies: improving market access and connectivity; developing market competitive tourist destinations and products; and improving tourism institutional, governance and human resource capacities.

To improve market access and connectivity, the DoT plans to push for the rapid expansion of the capacity of secondary international airports and address bottlenecks at NAIA, strengthen compliance with international air safety regulations, and adopt policies that facilitate the expansion of air services and visa-free access in key growth markets.

It also plans to work with the Department of Public Works and Highways in putting up a strategic access infrastructure development program between secondary international airports and strategic destinations.

To develop and market competitive tourist destinations and products, DoT will work with concerned government agencies and local government units to implement a sustainable tourism transportation and destination infrastructure program in strategic destinations, facilitate the development of mixed-use tourism complexes and community-based tourism programs in the strategic destinations.