According to Puyat, this forecast is based on the tourism industry’s increased contribution to the country’s gross domestic product — albeit for the year 2019, before the pandemic disturbed normal operations.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority , the Department of Tourism said the industry’s share in the GDP jumped from 12.3% in 2018 to 12.7% in 2019., however, due to the delay in the passage of the national budget. “The substantial growth in our TDGVA, inbound and outbound tourism expenditure, and employment in tourism demonstrates the value of the collective effort of our tourism stakeholders,” she said.