Philippines on track with tourism revenue target – Bengzon

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism (DOT) may start focusing on higher yield tourists instead of just looking at the tourist arrival volumes, in line with its push for sustainable tourism.

“I think we have to emphasize that in the years to come, there will be greater focus or emphasis on the yield for tourists. I think we have to really start positioning the Philippines as a higher yield type of a market,” Tourism Undersecretary and spokesperson Benito Bengzon said.

Without disclosing exact figures, Bengzon said the country is still on track with its tourism revenue target of about $6 billion for this year.

“But I think what is important here is that with the experience in Boracay, the other destinations are beginning to see the importance of ensuring that we maintain an optimum balance between a certain level of tourism activity, and making sure that we preserve the environment. This is going to be the overarching approach of the DOT for next year and the years to come,” Bengzon said.

He emphasized that the lessons the country learned from Boracay would hopefully inspire other destinations to take a closer look at their business model.

“Maybe now is the best time for some of the stakeholders to realize that we cannot just be about the headcount. We need to make sure that we make the effort to ensure tourism development and promotions are sustainable in the long run,” Bengzon said.

Fernando Roxas, executive director of the Asian Institute of Management Andrew Tan Center for Tourism, earlier told The Star that the Philippines should focus on the quality of tourists, rather than the volume of tourists it attracts.

“For an archipelago with small and fragmented island destinations, it makes no sense to go for tourist volumes,” Roxas said.

“Going for quantity will just create another, Boracay of old,” he said.

Roxas said that from an industry perspective, it is not the number of tourists that matter, rather it is the revenue from tourism that counts. 

“Longer stays, more shopping, more activities and larger share of the customer’s budget will give the local economy better jobs and cash inflow,” Roxas said.

He added that the country’s infrastructure is not suited for mass tourism.  

“Globally, eco-tourists are prepared to pay premium for the unique experience that Philippine tourism has to offer,” Roxas said.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the DOT is set to review the targets of under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) early 2019.

Puyat said the DOT would reviewing the NTDP with the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP).

“So we will be reviewing our goals when you talk about gross domestic product (GDP) contribution, direct domestic tourism, etc.,” Puyat said.

“When we review the plan, we will not be reviewing only the strategic directions, the programs, but we also have to look at the performance indicators which would also have to include the number of arrivals, the revenue and other economic indicators, employment, GDP contribution,” Bengzon said.

For this year, the DOT is targeting 7.4 million foreign arrivals. Puyat said she is not confident of reaching this due to the closure of Boracay.