Philippines Focuses on Domestic Tourism

A new dawn awaits the travel industry with a shift in paradigm of travel preferences and concerns around safety. Traditionally focused on international travelers, most countries had to reorient their offerings to cater to the domestic market. One such case is of Philippines local authorities who are diversifying a variety of domestic destinations through tailored and niche marketing. 

In this exclusive interview with Benito C. Bengzon, Jr., Undersecretary, Tourism Development at Department of Tourism, Philippines, he shares how their domestic tourism is poised for an uptake, adapting to new digital opportunities and being prepared to attract the resurgence of demand internationally.

What are some new products and programmes Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) has introduced to boost domestic tourism?

Pre-pandemic, the main thrust of the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) was to attract international visitors to the country. As the tourism industry grappled with the effects of the pandemic, we shifted out policy direction towards supporting tourism recovery and resiliency, just like many other countries in the Asia Pacific Region.

While international borders remain closed for tourism, we have recognized the major role of domestic tourism as the primary driver for the industry’s growth and recovery.

In view of this, the Philippine Department of Tourism identified 57 Inter-Regional and Intra-Regional Tourism Circuits in support of the pivot towards domestic tourism.

We have started to conduct inspections and validation trips with the intent of ensuring the proper launch of these circuits. Our primary focus is that tourism products within these tourism circuits are resilient, inclusive/innovative, sustainable, and engaging; and that health and safety protocols are in place to avert the risk of community transmission.

These circuits are also being developed to be responsive to the demands of our market as seen in the results of the Domestic Travel Survey that we conducted in November and December 2020, along with the Asian Institute of Management-Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism and Guide to the Philippines. The results of the survey entitled “The Evolving Landscape of Domestic Travel in the Philippines: A study of travelers and tourism enterprises amidst the pandemic” showed to us the preferences of the Filipino travelers and the assistance needed by tourism enterprises in the current times.

Product development is always side-by-side with international marketing. While we have shifted our gaze inward for the time being, all of these efforts will eventually ripple towards the interest of the international market once international borders reopen.

Travelers now have more leverage to demand action from travel providers to reassure them of safety and flexibility – how do you deal with such challenges?

Amidst the confusion and anxiety in the tourism and travel industry in 2020, an unexpected opportunity presented itself in the form of pause. It presented to us ‘a break’ that we never thought we needed -- something that would have been near impossible for a bullish and booming tourism sector that has been hitting highs and milestones at every corner.

We are now presented with an opportunity to reframe, recalibrate, and reimagine a tourism industry that is more responsible and accountable.

An opportunity of this immense value and impeccable timing should not be wasted. We have been saying that in order to restore traveler confidence, we need to meet, if not exceed, their expectations for tourism in the New Normal. As such, we take this opportunity to remodel Philippine tourism towards a better future.

Tourism can no longer be just about headcount and short-term economic gains. In order for more generations to enjoy the lasting benefits of responsible tourism, safety and sustainability must be the name of the game.

We now aim for high-value, low-density, and low-impact travel -- the success of which entails the meticulous improvement of our destinations, supplemented by our campaigns on safe travel.

In line with this, the Philippine Department of Tourism crafted health and safety guidelines for the reopening of the industry. These guidelines put in place enable the tourism industry to regain trust and confidence in the market.

Our stakeholders from the private sector have also adopted measures to ensure traveler safety. For instance, hotels, resorts, and restaurants adopted more contactless means of interactions with guests through the use of QR codes to check in or access menus.

These are just some of the steps that we have taken in response to the current demands of the domestic market. With the eventual reopening of the international market, we will continue to develop more innovations to address the needs of travelers in the New Normal.

Forbes magazine has ranked the Philippines among the seven countries “that have the potential to become a major tourist destination in a post- COVID-19 pandemic,” why do you think this is so?

The Forbes article mentioned the 7,641 islands of the Philippines and I would like to anchor on that.

The Philippines is one of the largest archipelago nations in the world. Pre-pandemic, the archipelagic nature of the Philippines was among the challenges that we needed to overcome in the tourism industry. Being detached from Mainland Asia, our country heavily depends on air travel for tourist traffic. The developments in Cruise Tourism likewise paved the way for easier access to the islands for shore excursions. Route development in both air and sea played a major role in bringing in international tourists.

On the other hand, the archipelagic nature of the Philippines may prove to be more advantageous in travel and tourism in the New Normal. Our international gateways in several islands will allow tourists to fly in from their port of origin to their selected Philippine destination directly or with as little transfer as possible. Cruise ports would also be a strong means for access, providing for controlled itineraries and managed movement.

Also, as pointed out in the article, the Philippine islands offer a diversity of tourism products for all kinds of travelers. Traveler preference and expectations have shifted because of the pandemic, and we see a trend towards outdoor and adventure travel in the years to come. The abundance of our natural attractions – from the ridges of our mountains to the sands of our shores -- provide a wide variety for travelers, and we are more than excited to welcome our foreign friends again once international tourism reopens.

How has digital supported the marketing strategy of PDOT since the onset of the pandemic?

Digital platforms served as the perfect avenue to sustain our engagements in our key strategic and opportunity markets.

Our campaign entitled Wake Up in the Philippines was rolled out in digital platforms. It was made to keep the Philippines first in mind of our foreign travelers once our international borders reopen for tourism.

Digital platforms also served as our way to campaign for safe travel. Our series of videos entitled “Have A Safe Trip, Pinas” encapsulate the proper etiquette that every traveler must keep in mind in order to enjoy safe travel in the New Normal.

As technological advancement has proven to be the future in the New Normal, we shall continue to explore various digital platforms in order to attain a wider reach for both our international and domestic markets.

What are some collaborations between travel partners to aid in the recovery/pick up business?

Business continuity would ensure the retention of jobs. Recognizing this, the Philippine Department of Tourism partnered with the Small Business Corporation, an attached agency of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, in order to provide access to working capital loans for micro, small, and medium enterprises. This partnership was formed under the Republic Act No. 11494 and aims to provide no interest, no collateral loans for our stakeholders in order to tide them over during this pandemic.

How is the Philippines government helping with safeguarding the workforce – or helping to adapt the workforce?

Over the past year, the Philippine Department of Tourism along with private sector partners held various online trainings and webinars. These were aimed to capacitate and equip the tourism workforce to meet the demands of the New Normal travelers while ensuring their own safety in the workplace.

Tourism workers also receive financial assistance from the programs of various government agencies such as the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment and the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development, among others. These were crucial in the year-long survival experience of employees.

We shall continue to conduct capacity building programs to aid our tourism workforce during these trying times.

With the digital divide, how can you ensure the communities are not left behind?

The digital divide is one of the many challenges that we aim to address especially at the community level. We all know that the far-flung communities of the Philippines have little access to technology and internet connection, and the Philippine Department of Tourism through our Regional Offices working with our local government units to make sure that the communities are not left behind in our shift towards New Normal practices.

What is Digital Travel APAC 2021 a must not miss event?

The Digital Travel APAC 2021 is great platform for tourism industry professionals as it focuses on the key elements that are essential as we deal with the ongoing pandemic. It does not only tackle e-commerce, digital marketing, and consumer services in the industry, but it also a good way to learn about the best practices of countries towards recovery.