Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco is urging international tourism stakeholders to visit and invest in the Philippines, saying the country is on its way to a significant recovery from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 global pandemic.
Frasco joined the Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB) held in Singapore on Wednesday, Sept. 7, wherein she expressed optimism for the Philippine tourism industry’s ability to draw full fiscal recovery under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
The DOT chief narrated the momentous regaining of tourists visiting the Philippines after the Covid-19 hiatus.
“Overall, the outlook about the Philippines is optimistic. Notwithstanding all of the difficulties that we have faced and that have come into our shores, everything that has come to pass, and everything that the Filipino people suffered in terms of various upheavals and calamities, it is by no accident that the country remains one of the most beautiful destinations in the world, and top-of-mind destination in terms of tourism,” Frasco asserted.
According to Frasco, the Philippines caters to at least 1.4 million international visitors as of Sept. 5.
“The tourism industry in the Philippines is already on its way to recovery. With your help and with your partnership, we can continue to allow tourism to be a force for good towards the economic recovery of the ASEAN region and towards sustainable development,” said Frasco.
She also assured the stakeholders from the Singapore community of comprehensive mechanisms to enable the improvement of the tourism industry in the Philippines.
“We are open, we are ready, and we invite all of you to visit and to invest in the Philippines,” Frasco uttered.
Frasco joined fellow Cabinet officials: Secretary Ivan John Uy of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Secretary Jaime Bautista of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Secretary Manuel Bonoan of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Secretary Alfredo Pascual of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in the panel of discussion which tackled promotions of infrastructure and industries.