Duterte bats for closer tourism cooperation

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism, given its vital role in promoting social and economic prosperity.

During the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit Friday, Duterte called for greater collaboration between the government and tourism stakeholders to boost travel activities and ensure economic recovery amid the prevailing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Let us all continue working together to make the tourism sector boost its performance for social growth and economic development,” Duterte said in a taped video message played before the WTTC Global Summit delegates.

Duterte expressed confidence that the challenges the tourism industry is facing would be addressed during the 21st WTTC Global Summit.

“It is our pleasure to host this gathering of leaders, decision-makers and top-level officials of the world’s travel and tourism sector. I trust that with your expertise in this field, this event will help us spur meaningful discussion about the concerns of tourism and the travelers in the post-pandemic era,” he said.

The Philippines is this year’s host of the WTTC Global Summit which gathers key tourism government representatives and stakeholders to continue aligning efforts to support the sector’s recovery, especially amid the pandemic.

Travel and tourism in the Philippines generated USD41 billion in 2021, representing 10.4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to the latest WTTC Economic Impact Report.

The WTTC also reported that the tourism sector helped produce around 7.8 million jobs last year.

The global tourism body projected that by 2032, the Philippine travel and tourism contribution to GDP could be worth in excess of USD155 billion, accounting for 21.4 percent of the whole economy.

The country has further relaxed its Covid-19 restrictions, given the continued drop in coronavirus cases nationwide.

From April 11 to 17, the country logged an additional 1,674 Covid-19 infections, 12 percent lower than the cases reported from April 4 to 10.

On Thursday, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Southeast Asian nations, during the 2022 WTTC Global Summit, sought the unification of a health passport to facilitate seamless travel for tourists.

During the summit, tourism stakeholders also emphasized the need to standardize coronavirus-related travel requirements in countries of destination.