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PH's sustainable tourism invests in destinations, people: DOT

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora

May 2, 2019, 6:23 pm

MANILA -- Aside from responsible development of destinations, the Philippines' sustainable tourism is centered on investing in people, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Thursday.

These include the workers and stakeholders who will lead not only in promoting the country's natural resources and heritage sites but also advocating ways to sustainably maintain these destinations

"It’s about developing a destination not only for the economic gains it will bring today, but for the benefit of the generations that will come after," she said in a speech during the Tourism Summit 2019 in Manila.

"Sustainable tourism is also about investing in people, providing training and the proper tools to raise our workers’ capacity and capability," she noted.

Romulo-Puyat said the DOT continues to empower Filipino tourism workers in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Tourism Industry Board Foundation Inc. (TIBFI).

"Together we are forming a network of master trainers who can exchange knowledge and teach potential employees in the housekeeping, food production, food and beverage services, and front office labor divisions," she said.

The tourism industry has provided a huge contribution to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and opened up opportunities for more Filipinos.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the sector alone contributed 12.2 percent to the country’s GDP in 2017, which translates to PHP1.929 trillion earnings and a boost to the Philippine economy.

In the same year, 13.1 percent of the Philippines total employment was directly attributed to the industry -- at least 5.3 million jobs for Filipinos.

"That fact alone is enough inspiration for all of us here to make that number even higher," Romulo-Puyat said. (PNA)

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