Most Filipinos believe in sustainable tourism — data

SINGAPORE — A majority of Filipinos consider sustainable tourism an important factor for the country, a shift that must be advocated for in the coming years.

Filipino-American businesswoman and travel industry leader Liz Ortiguera was the keynote speaker at the 2023 TravMedia Summit Asia held in Singapore last October 23. She was tapped for her 25 years of experience in the travel and tourism (T&T) sector.

Ortiguera was the female and only second Asian chief executive officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association and is currently the World Travel & Tourism Council's (WTTC) managing director for Asia-Pacific (APAC).

Personal projects like disaster relief work for Typhoon Yolanda and the Village Fund & Build post-Yolanda enlightened Ortiguera on the significant push for sustainable tourism.

Sharing data from WTTC's Economic Impact Report for APAC 2023, Ortiguera said the T&T sector will grow globally in the next decade.

T&T job opportunities in APAC will rise from 172 million to 246 million by 2033 — making up 69% of new jobs around the world — with 8% of jobs designtated for T&T in major cities including Manila.

Ortiguera pointed out the dualities of travel: negative effects include climate change, overtourism, crime, pollution, biodiversity loss and financial disparity, while positive effects include cross-cultural understanding, personal development, rewilding, cultural and heritage revival, community development, poverty alleviation and financial inclusion.

Related:  Asia 'catching up' to global sustainable tourism levels

The WTTC noted that gas emissions as a result of T&T dropped during the pandemic but are expected to rise. Decoupling, however, has been observed, with gas emissions and gross domestic products not growing at the same rate.

Data from the Economist Impact shows that 98% of people in the Philippines believe sustainable tourism is important — the highest tally in APAC — while 80% believe in the importance of creating a positive impact for the local population.

Ortiguera said that from these data, the future of T&T includes the expansion of Asian influence on global travel, redefining modern luxury, personal carbon footprint tracking and