CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)–-Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco of the Department of Tourism (DOT) underscored the vital contribution of the tourism industry to the country’s economic growth.

During her recent visit to Misamis Oriental province, Frasco elaborated on the robust gains of the industry as a result of the policies set forth by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ensure its full recovery from the pandemic.

She said by the end of 2022, the tourism industry contributed over 6.2% of the GDP (gross domestic product), making significant contributions in terms of employment and livelihood for tourism stakeholders.

This, she said, prompted the country’s economic managers to declare tourism as one of the top growth drivers of the national economy. 

“In 2022, we registered over 2.65 million international travelers, representing over 65% of our initial targets. And we saw the overperformance of domestic tourism with no less than 102 million domestic trips having been taken all over the Philippines. These all translated to P1.87 trillion in visitor receipts for our economy,” she said.

Frasco conveyed that this translated to jobs and employment of 5.35 million Filipinos in 2022.

“The good news is as of today (Sept. 8), we have registered over 3.7 million national visitors representing 77% of our target in 2023," she added.

Frasco also described the strategies laid down by DOT to sustain the gains of the tourism industry and support the President's vision of transforming the country into a tourism powerhouse in Asia. 

These include investing in tourism infrastructure and connectivity, engaging in convergence, and pursuing digitalization to make the country more accessible to potential tourists all over the world. (APB/PIA-10)