Frasco vows to bolster ties with aviation allies

DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the agency is expanding its engagement with the private sector, mainly international aviation partners, to boost connectivity to and from the Philippines from existing and developing tourism destinations.

Secretary Frasco noted that the Philippines leads Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) in domestic tourism.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council's 2022 figures, Philippine domestic tourism produced more than $53.3 billion, underscoring its essential role in the country's recovery following the pandemic.

Thailand ranked second, followed by Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Brunei Darussalam.

Frasco identified the tourism component as «very encouraging,» with many Filipinos flying in and out of their hometowns to travel locally, with some even participating in «workation» arrangements at various locations.

«We continue to collaborate with our domestic aviation partners, of course, Cebu Pacific, and the Philippine Airlines, and present to them the concerns of our stakeholders,» Frasco said.

Also, the DoT is working on many programs to promote tourism in Mindanao, including Sulu, a seldom-visited area with kilometer-long white sand beaches and crystal clear waters that is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Frasco noted that the department is working together with stakeholders from the Kalayaan Group of Islands in the West Philippine Sea to look into tourist prospects in lesser-known places, such as the establishment of Mabuhay accommodation on the country's most distant islands.