Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo on Friday cited the agency’s accomplishments in the first 50 days of the Duterte administration.
Among the Tourism Department’s achievements since June 30 were the the scrapping of the “processing fee” for the issuance of certificates of travel tax exemption and reduced travel tax that took effect on July 25, 2016, according to Teo.
She also announced an on-going inter-agency exploratory discussion on the proposal to integrate the airport terminal fee into the passenger’s airline ticket payment and a department proposal to remove unnecessary barriers and simplify travel regulations, to ease crowding and congestion at the airport terminals.
The department also announced the holding of the Miss Universe pageant in the Philippines next year, after President Rodrigo Duterte approved Teo’s proposal.
The Philippines also embarked on an “exchange tourism” agreement with Thailand.
The Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports offered to create collaboration between the two countries on farm tourism, youth development and women and indigenous community projects.
Teo met with the Thai Travel Agents Association at Tawana Ramada Hotel where she personally encouraged the tour operators to send more Thai tourists to the Philippines.
Teo, in a recent visit to a Fil-Am community in New Jersey, also asked the help of the community in promoting the Philippines including her advocacy of one-town-one product.
She also cited medical tourism as a prime magnet for East Coast Fil-Am and non-Filipino tourists, the enhancement of Filipino cuisine’s profile as tourist attraction and the local governments’ participation in boosting tourism.
Teo said DOT aimed to promote both domestic tourism and international tourism.
“Filipinos should not be strangers in their own country. They should be able to see with their own eyes the bountiful beauty God has endowed this country,” she said.