Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia FrascoAt a recent forum of The Manila Times, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the sector contributed 12.9 percent to the economy before Covid-19. Remittances from migrant workers and income from the outsourcing sector each contributed about 10 percent.Besides 'revenge travel,' Frasco said local tourism has also been growing, and that sector has generated some 5.2 million jobs.
allows airlines to make additional stops in Asean after landing at a primary destination in the region, privileges that were allowed only with certain freedom rights in air agreements. was expected to boost travel and tourism to the Philippines, but policymakers had excluded Manila from the agreement. Granted, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport already operates beyond capacity, but the government can now promote some of its newly improved international gateways, like Cebu and Clark.Tourists do not only arrive aboard airplanes. Policymakers should also review an open seas policy to help attract cruises to regularly dock in the Philippines.