Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat welcomed the lifting of public advisory of the US Department of Homeland Security regarding security conditions at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
United States acting secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan ordered the immediate rescission of the Public Notice issued in December after the Transportation Security Administration found Philippine’s premier international gateway demonstrate significant improvements to the security operations at the airport facility.
“We, at Department of Tourism, are very elated and encouraged by this development as we renew our commitment to extend to the public, particularly our international visitors, the highest potentials of the Filipino brand of service,” Puyat said.
"This development also augurs well for the DOT's efforts to increase tourist arrivals and for the development of a culture of resilient, inclusive, and sustainable tourism in the country," she added.
For the first half 2019, a total of 4,133,050 international tourists visited the Philippines, marking a 11.43% percent increase from last year’s figures, according to DOT.
“We have already breached the 4 million mark within the first 6 months of the year. Seven years ago, it took the entire year to reach 4 million tourists. The Philippine tourism industry has indeed come a long way with better and increased connectivity. New, rehabilitated and expanded airports have contributed much to this growth.," Puyat said.
