MANILA, Philippines – To President Benigno Aquino III, tourism in the Philippines is a “low-lying fruit,” and is one of “the shortest and most efficient paths to inclusive growth.”
As long as it it can be pursued in a sustainable manner.
On Monday, May 19, at the UNTWO International Conference on Tourism and Climate Change in Legazpi City, Bicol, Aquino emphasized the need to develop the country’s tourism industry while addressing climate change.
“Our country has so many natural gifts. Such attractions, combined with our people’s natural kindness and hospitality, make our country an excellent tourism destination,” said Aquino.
He added, “The long-term viability of such programs, however, is tied to how we deal with the problem of climate change. It is true: We have some of the best beaches and dive spots in the world; sadly, these areas are also the ones most vulnerable to climate risk—whether in the form of loss of biodiversity or coastal erosion.”
But Aquino also highlighted the need for a global effort to fight climate change.
“Taking on the challenge of climate change necessitates an international effort. We must come up with a more focused and more organized strategy to adapt to the risks it poses. This entails each country revisiting the way they approach every facet of governance to take into account how they affect the environment—from infrastructure, to agriculture, to energy,” he said.
Aware of the need to “start taking action now,” Aquino gave assurances the Philippines is doing its part to respond to the challenge of fueling sustainable tourism, and called for international movement on the issue.
“Our immediate response: To plan ahead and reduce the impact of the effects of climate change on our tourist destinations, amongst others. The government has included climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as disaster risk reduction and management, among the major considerations for future development,” he said.
“Our plan: To mainstream climate change adaptation with local, sectoral, and national plans—all of which will consequently guide the development of tourist destinations and tourism activities per locality. With the increasing risks of climate change, this is something we encourage other ASEAN-member countries, as well as countries around the world, to look into.”
‘Significant opportunity’
Tourism is a “significant opportunity” for Filipinos because of its instant impact on the economy, said Aquino, who cited that each international tourist visiting the country spends almost $1,000 dollars or about P44,000 during their visits – an amount that is growing even higher.
Because tourism jobs rarely require specialized or lengthy training, Aquino said more Filipinos can capitalize the opportunities granted by the industry immediately.
“This is why we have focused our developments efforts on this sector, amongst others, and the early results are extremely encouraging,” he said.
In 2013, Aquino said the Philippines welcomed 4.68 million international tourists, which is about 10% higher than the previous year. The Philippines aims to breach the 10 million mark by the end of Aquino’s administration in 2016.
Even domestic tourists are rising.
In 2011, Aquino said the Philippines beat its initial 2016 target of 35.5 million domestic travelers, when 37.5 million traveled domestically in 2011 alone. The new goal of the government is 56.1 million domestic travelers by 2016.
As a case study of the benefits of tourism in revitalizing a local community, Aquino pointed to the municipality of Donsol in Sorsogon, which capitalized on the presence of whale sharks or Butandings with the help of the Department of Tourism and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
“Largely due to the economic and social benefits of the project, as well as the active participation of the local community, Donsol went from a 6th class municipality to a first class municipality in less than 5 years,” he said.
The growth has been felt “across the board,” said Aquino, as local fisherman who used to earn P300 a day now earn up to more than P1000 daily.
Current actions
Aside from tourism, Aquino said the government has launched initiatives to ensure the Philippines is doing its part in its fight against climate change in general.
The President said the Philippines has “taken significant steps” to address long-term problems of climate change, by “striking a productive, sustainable balance as regards our reliance on fossil fuels.”
“For instance, we have introduced incentives that promote private sector investments in renewable energy projects,” he said.
He also talked about the government’s efforts in rebuilding 44 of the 81 provinces affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), a devastating typhoon he referred to as “the new normal.”
He said the government is now ensuring the new houses and infrastructure will be sturdier and more resilient.
Aquino said the National Electrification Administration (NIA) is also ensuring affected electric cooperatives are following rules on easement and making certain that poles and towers are constructed in a way that doesn’t hamper reconstruction efforts.
Currently, NIA is studying how power infrastructure can be changed so that failure in one tower does not affect multiple poles in the same system. – Rappler.com
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