Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo made a strong pitch for more Chinese investments to support tourism development between China and the Philippines.
“Now is the time to look at the Philippines from a different light, not just a place to visit and enjoy its destination, but a place to do business as well. I urge you to raise your stake on our country and be part of the dawning of a new era—the ‘golden age of infrastructure’,” she said in a trip to China over the weekend.
Teo during Belt and Road Forum hosted by China wooed 17 key Chinese corporations to invest in the Philippines’ P8-trillion infrastructure development program to help sustain Manila’s economic growth momentum in the next six years.
“With the ‘Build, Build, Build’ thrust of the current administration, tourism infrastructure ranging from airports, seaports to hotels are integral to cope with the booming Philippine tourism industry. We are prepared to offer both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives through our tourism enterprise zone model,” Teo said.
The Department of Tourism called for Chinese investments on projects like the redevelopment of the historic ‘Old Walled City’ of Intramuros, the proposed Philippine Travel Center and in raw lands covered by the Tourism Infrastructure Economic Zone Authority.
“This meeting ushers in a new chapter in our efforts to further heighten cooperation in tourism development between the Philippines and China,” Teo said.
Tourism undersecretary Rolando Canizal said China is the second largest trading partner of the Philippines, citing the growing interest of Chinese investors to bring in tourism infrastructure projects to the country.
One common concern among Chinese investors was the Philippines’ capacity for the influx of international arrivals and foreign direct investments in the tourism industry. Teo vowed to increase the country’s capacity.
Tourism has allotted over P600 million for its infrastructure program between 2017 and 2022, including budgets for airports, cruise ports, roads, railways, site infrastructure and TEZs. The investments exclude private sector investments of over P2.2 trillion on transport units and accommodation.
“Our numbers will speak for itself. We are hitting new targets with our continuing and sustained efforts. February of this year alone, tourist arrivals to the country hit a four-year high counting a total of 579,178 visitors, an increase of 27.81 percent since 2013” Teo said.
“With the bureaucratic reforms, strong private sector consensus, and a more level playing field in the country’s tourism under the auspices of the newly approved National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP 2016-2022), your investments are assured to propel the industry as major economic driver for inclusive growth, greater connectivity, and infrastructure development,” Teo said.