President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to Filipinos his move to boost the Philippines' education sector and sustainable development, which could also contribute to strengthening the country's tourism industry.
In an opening ceremony during the 36th Joint Meeting of the United Nations (UN) Tourism Commission for East Asia and the Pacific, and the UN Tourism Commission for South Asia in Cebu on Friday, the President emphasized how education and sustainablity could help the country's tourism as it is one of the biggest contributors to the local economy.
“Indeed, education is always going to make any industry better, and certainly tourism is no different. We need to raise the standards and practices in this crucial sector by investing in education, training, and skills upgrading of all the personnel who are working in this industry,” President Marcos said.
Furthermore, the President noted that in order to promote tourism, the government must also make sure that environmental conservation goes hand in hand with it.
“For what good will any tourism effort be if it ends up destroying the local culture and ecology. So, this brings us to another important topic that we also need to address when it comes to developing our respective tourism industries, which is sustainability,” the Chief Exceutive said.
“We need to adopt sustainability in our society and economy, and certainly in the sector of tourism. We must go green in the transformation of our tourism products and services as a solution to address climate change, resource preservation, and long-term industry sustainability,” he added.
In order to pursue reforms that will encourage tourists to "visit, stay, spend, and return" to the Philippines, the President also mentioned that the government is strengthening the public-private partnership.
These include making it easier to obtain a visa, improving the quality of the water and medical services in popular tourist locations, and strengthening connecting points like airports.
“By adopting these practices, we create a tourism industry that not only creates responsible visitors but also uplifts the lives of those who are part of that activity,” said Marcos.
The President served as the guest of honor and keynote speaker of the said event.
