Text by Terence Repelente Portrait by Pinggot Zulueta

Industry Veteran promoting destinations has always been Secretary Teo's passion. She has been working in the tourism sector for more than two decades.

The previous year, 2017, was a mixed bag of blessings and afflictions for Department of Tourism (DOT) secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo. In an exclusive interview with the Philippine Panorama she admitted that the year’s tragedies—The Panglao clash, the battle of Marawi (which paved the way to the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao), and the Resorts World Manila shooting incident—had adversely affected the country’s tourism.

“Before Martial Law was declared, Davao had 90 percent occupancy rating even in the rainy season. After the declaration, it went down to 30 percent. Bumagsak talaga (It really went low),” she said. “But it was only temporary, only for a couple of months. After that, it got high again, back in its normal rate. Now people are not bothered of Martial Law anymore because they see that it’s even safer to come to the Philippines. I always tell operators who are afraid to go to our country because of ‘peace and order’ situation that Marawi is an isolated case. There are other places that aren’t affected by the Martial Law. If you don’t want to go to Marawi, you can go to other places such as Cagayan de Oro, or Camiguin, or Siargao.” According to Secretary Teo, we have to educate them that the situation in Mindanao is under control and Marial Law is something that we shouldn’t be afraid of because it’s for the benefit of the tourists. It’s for the good of the country.

From food to sports and beyond

Despite all of these unfortunate events, Secretary Teo said that 2017 was better than 2016, all thanks to the combined efforts of local government units, private entities, and or course DOT. “2017 was better as compared to the previous year because we had lots of activities. We had Madrid Fusion, and of course the Miss Universe na dinala natin dito (that we brought here), which helped increase tourist arrivals,” she said. “We have lots of investors who have signified that they will invest in the Philippines, mostly Chinese and we have more charter flights. As compared to 2016, 2017 was good, and we see that this year, 2018, will be even better, because nag-materialize na yung mga investors. There are currently three major investors this year. One of them is planning to do a theme park here in Manila. The groundbreaking, if it pushes through, will be this year. It will be finished in three years, so that’s another big event to look forward to. These projects will create employment, new destinations, tourists will gravitate toward it.”

Last year, Secretary Teo focused on going out of the country and convincing operators and investors. This year, according to her, we will see the fruit of DOT’s labor.  “Operators want new destinations, new places and sceneries, and new offerings and innovative packages,” she said. “We brought in tour operators and special guests to the country last year, so this year we’ll see the results of that. They’ve been writing stories and articles about the Philippines, which I’m sure would kick-start 2018 on a good tone. We’re eyeing to hit the target, go even higher, and surpass 2017.”

If the majority of last year’s campaigns were culinary-related, 2018’s focal point will be sports. “We have lots of international events lined up this year—we’ll probably have the Strongest Man, the Iron Man, and other sports-related events. Many organizations are already asking if they could do some events here in collaboration with us. If last year was about food and culinary tourism, which included Madrid Fusion, Anthony Bourdain, etc., this year will be about athletics and sports tourism.”

The Philippines for Filipinos

The area where the Philippines is clicking globally at the moment is where Secretary Teo capitalizes on. But more than riding the trend, she also wants to make the most of the signature characteristics of the country, more specifically, she wants to channel the attention to faith tourism. “We are known all over the world for our Baroque churches and mosques,” she said. “When you go to Europe, part of their tour itinerary is visiting old churches and buildings. We have a lot of those in the Philippines, some even older and more beautiful than those in Europe.”

Primarily, Secretary Teo wants Filipinos to travel their own country first before going out of it. Now that the stigma that only the privileged can travel is slowly disappearing, with more low-cost flights and packages, DOT and its regional units reinforce their existing campaigns to encourage Filipinos to see more of their country. “We’ve been printing promotional materials, we’ve met up with the tour operators, and we even asked different hotels to create packages for local people,” she said. “It’s their culture, it’s their land, and they deserve to see it all—the festivals, the food, the people.”

Secretary Teo also pays special attention to the Millennials, the modern travelers. “These young travelers are the ones who don’t go to travel agencies, they like to go on their own. They’re really adventurous, they like to mingle with the locals and learn their culture,” she said. “In fact, it is now the Millennials who travel a lot as backpackers. Whenever I get out of the country, I’d tell Filipino Milennials who grew up abroad to go back to their roots, go back to the Philippines, know about our history and culture because, at the end of the day, they are still Filipinos. What better way to fully discover your nationality than to travel all around the nation.”

Hidden Gems

“There are incredibly a lot of hidden gems in the Philippines, which do not get enough attention,” Secretary Teo said. “Siquijor, Masbate, Marinduque among many others.” Palawan, Boracay, Manila, and other famous destinations, according to her, can stand on their own, but the underrated areas, scattered around the country’s 7,641 islands, really need help to promote themselves as popular tourist spots. “Tuguegarao is the first place that I went to when I became the secretary for tourism. It was so beautiful and yet it’s underrated, almost unknown to foreign tourists. That’s where I realized that actions needed to be done.” This 2018, said Secretary Teo, DOT will focus more on these underrated places, which are brimming with potential. She promises to bring in more investors and collaborate with LGUs to make this development possible.

Secretary Teo has been actively working in the tourism sector for more than two decades as a co-owner of a travel agency, Mt. Apo Travel and Tours, president of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS), and a member of Davao Travel Agencies Association (DTAA), the Davao Association of Tour Operators (DATO), and the Davao Regional Tourism Council (DRTC). “Promoting destinations has been my passion even when I was not the secretary of tourism,” she said. “Although it was difficult to promote Davao, when I was still in DTAA, I really did my best. I would go out and join travel fairs, conventions, and all that just to effectively boost Davao’s tourism. Now that I’m the secretary of DOT, I would like to promote destinations that are, as I’ve said, ‘underrated.’ I’m doing this not just for the sake of profit, I’m doing this to help communities, uplift the lives of the people.  That’s what I want my legacy to be. I would like to be remembered as somebody who has done something good for the country, someone who has developed communities, and someone has who truly helped the people in need. That’s what being a public servant is about.”