Senator Mark A. Villar on Friday, July 28, lauded the Department of Tourism (DOT) for its major accomplishments in the past year.
Sen. Mark Villar with Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (O/S Mark Villar)
“I would like to commend the DOT for their efforts in the past year. As stated by President BBM (Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr.) in his SONA (State of t he Nation Address) , we already had three million international visitors just from January to July this year,” he said.
“That’s already 62 percent of the 4.8 million target for year 2023. This goes to show that the DOT has been relentless in their efforts to bring more tourists in the Philippines,” he added.
Villar is chairman of the Senate Committee on Banks, Currencies and Financial Institutions.
Domestic tourism also proved to be a catalyst for economic recovery and tourism industry resurgence with about 102 million domestic trips in 2022, he pointed out.
“Aside from the international tourism we must also recognize the efforts of DOT in terms of our domestic tourism,” he said.
“Malaking bagay na napasigla ng DOT, sa pangunguna ni Sec. Frasco.(Secretary Christina Frasco), ang ating lokal na turismo sapagkat ito ay nakaka create ng maraming oportunidad para sa ating mga kababayan (The DOT, led Secretary Frasco and enlivened the local tourism industry which created opportunities for our countrymen),” Villar explained.
The President also mentioned on his SONA that tourism plays a vital role in our economic recovery.
“As long as the DOT continues its current programs and policies, I’m confident that we will not only hit record numbers in international and domestic tourists but we will also be the primary tourist destination in our region,” Villar said.