President Ferdinand &lsquo;Bongbong&rsquo; Marcos Jr. has approved the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028, a blueprint and development framework that will give "a fighting chance" for the Philippines&nbsp;to become &ldquo;a tourism powerhouse&rdquo;.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, May 16, Tourism Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia-Frasco announced that Marcos approved the department&rsquo;s NTDP 2023-2028 during the cabinet meeting held earlier that day.
"We are very grateful to our President for articulating very early in his administration his priority for tourism development. And this has resulted in a convergence among government agencies as far as giving full support to the development of the industry, recognizing the losses that have ensued as a result of the pandemic and various calamities," she said.
According to Frasco, the NTDP will serve as the &ldquo;blueprint and development framework for the tourism industry&rdquo; during the administration of Marcos.
Under the NTDP, she said the tourism department laid down seven objectives that would give the country "a fighting chance" to become &ldquo;a tourism powerhouse&rdquo;. These include the development of infrastructure, connectivity, digitalization, the equalization of tourism, development, and enhancement of the overall tourism experience as well as the strengthening of tourism governance.&nbsp;
The DOT Secretary said the newly-approved plan will employ Filipinos as this will establish tourism circuits across regions and provinces.
Meanwhile, Frasco also reported the tourism industry earned ₱1.74 trillion from a composite of domestic visitor seats and foreign visitor receipts in 2022 and generated at least 5.2 million local jobs.
She said the DOT expects to accumulate a total of ₱51.9 million tourist arrivals and 34.7 million tourism-related jobs by 2028.
Written By Ailah Francisco, DZRH News Online Intern

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