Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco was cited as among the top-performing cabinet officials of the Marcos administration, and she owed the regnition to the organization's effectivity in implementing tourism reforms and programs.
Frasco thanked the RP-Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMD) on Friday, Nov. 25, after its recent survey showed the DOT chief got a 71-percent approval rating.
Frasco followed Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos who got 75 percent; and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Erwin Tulfo who had a 73-percent approval mark.
The survey was based on an RPMD poll conducted from Nov. 3 to 10, using face-to-face interviews with 5,000 respondents picked randomly among 7.3 million adult Filipinos living in Metro Manila.
"The result of the RPMD survey is an affirmation of the hard work of the men and women of the Department of Tourism and the entire industry and the sectors that it encompasses. This will be an inspiration as we carry on with zeal and optimism the tasks that will lead us to the resurgence of tourism as envisioned by President Marcos, Jr.," Frasco enthused.
Frasco, the youngest official in the Marcos cabinet and a lawyer by profession, is also a three-term mayor of Liloan, Cebu.
She said they had rectified the tourism business despite coming off the worst tourism crisis in the last century due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
"The role is challenging given the setbacks the industry has faced in the past two years. In our effort to listen to stakeholders, we were able to gain valuable insight into the industry’s needs and we continue to form collaborative relationships that ensure a recovery that is inclusive and responsive. Led by our President, the tourism industry will recover and rise stronger than ever," Frasco added.
In her first 100 days, Frasco led the DOT in an aggressive campaign to revive the hard-hit industry with support for the President’s direction towards easing travel restrictions such as the lifting of the mask mandates and removal of the One Health Pass.
In September this year, the DOT partnered with the Departments of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and mounted the *Trabaho, Turismo, Asenso: The First Philippine Tourism Job Fair" that gave some 9,000 employment to job seekers.
The DOT also started the establishment of Tourist Rest Areas (TRAs) across the country aimed at improving visitor experience; initiated talks with relevant government agencies to explore the resumption and creation of flights to improve the connectivity into and around the country; launched relevant and timely projects such as The Philippine Experience: Arts, Culture and Heritage Caravans to further diversify the cultural tourism product offerings of the country; and the Over-Wintering Packages to entice foreign nationals who wish to elude winter in their countries, among others.
Numerous recognitions
DOT also led the campaign of the Filipino brand of tourism that acclaimed lording over the global spectacle as the Philippines collected numerous awards and recognitions.
The series of awards added to the country’s long list of recognitions earned at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among these include the recognition of the Philippines as the Best Beach and Best Dive Destination at the 2022 World Travel Awards (WTA) where Intramuros was also recognized as the Best Tourist Attraction in Asia; and hailing of Boracay by the Conde Nast Traveler, a United States-based luxury and lifestyle travel magazine, as the Top Island in Asia, while Palawan was in the top eight.
At the Incentive Travel, Conventions and Meetings Asia (ITCMA) 2022 in Thailand, the renowned international travel publication “TTG” awarded the Philippines as Destination of the Year for 2023.
Palawan was also hailed as the Most Desirable Island in the world at the recently concluded 21st Wanderlust Travel Awards in the United Kingdom (UK) on November 10.
The Philippine Tourism Board, through the Philippine Department of Tourism-Central Visayas Office, also placed sixth among hundreds of entries in the Wanderlust Sustainability Initiative Category for its Dive7 Program.
Earlier this year, Conde Nast Travel (CNT) also named the Philippines among the 40 most beautiful countries worldwide, specifically citing the remarkable cave system of the Puerto Princesa Underground River, the mysteriously uniform Chocolate Hills of Bohol, and the panoramic views of the Banaue and Cordilleras Rice Terraces.
The following month, the renowned Travel + Leisure magazine also named the country’s tourist magnets Boracay, Palawan, and Cebu part of the 25 Best Islands in the World.
Time Magazine also cited Boracay as one of the 50 World’s Greatest Places of 2022.