Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco proposed the creation of 24-hour, seven-day courts to expedite the resolution of cases involving tourists.
She said the initiative was discussed in a recent meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who cited the need for collaboration between the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate and prosecute tourist-related crimes.
Frasco acknowledged the need for improvement in the country’s tourism sector and assured efforts are underway to welcome more visitors. These include lobbying for increased connectivity through route development and showcasing diverse tourism offerings.
More than 8,000 police personnel have been trained under the Tourist Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOPCOP) program to strengthen police presence in key tourist areas.
About 270 barangay tanod and barangay intelligence network members were also trained as force multipliers.
Data from the DOT showed that as of Aug. 19, 2024, the Philippines welcomed 3,860,730 international visitors, with top source markets still being South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, Australia, Taiwan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the DOT defended its proposed P3.39-billion budget for 2025 before the House of Representatives (HoR) Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday, highlighting the tourism sector’s impressive performance.
Frasco said tourism surpassed all baseline targets set under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028 in the previous year, contributing significantly to national output and employment.
“Tourism’s contributions to job creation and our pursuit of upper middle-income status under President Marcos Jr.’s administration are the key indicators. We achieved this through increased domestic trips, international tourist arrivals, and expanded product and destination offerings,” she said.
Frasco said the Philippines had the largest domestic tourism market in Southeast Asia in 2023, valued at $52.1 billion, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
The country also accounted for the highest share of 24.8 percent of ASEAN tourism’s total contribution to the ASEAN GDP. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recorded over 6.2 million Filipinos employed in tourism-related sectors last year.
Tourism contributed 8.6 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP), with combined domestic and international tourism expenditure reaching P3.36 trillion.
The tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA) was recorded at P2.09 trillion, a 47.9 percent growth from 2022 and the highest in 24 years.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas also noted a net trade surplus of around $2.45 billion in travel services, a first in 15 years. The Philippines exceeded its target with 5.45 million international visitors in 2023, surpassing the projected 4.8 million.
“Having exceeded our targets for international tourism arrivals in 2023, we remain optimistic about the industry’s future,” Frasco said
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