Domestic travel seen to drive recovery of tourism industry

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is optimistic that domestic travel will significantly help drive the recovery the country’s tourism industry.

In DOT released recently the report entitled: Philippine Travel Survey: Insights on Filipino Travel Behavior Post Covid-19, to various tourism stakeholders.

The travel survey is a joint project of the DOT, the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Dr. Andrew Tan Center for Tourism, and Guide to the Philippines. It shows how the government, the public, the private sector, and the academe can collaborate for the industry’s eventual recovery.

The DOT said that lingering health concerns due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has caused Filipino travelers to prefer to go to destinations closer to their provinces.

The survey found that domestic travel will lead the recovery of the Philippine travel industry, with 77 percent of the 12,000 respondents across the country expressing their willingness to travel to local destinations once restrictions due to Covid-19 are lifted. More than half of the respondents wanted to travel for leisure and vacation even in the absence of Covid-19 vaccines.

Majority of the respondents prefer limited face-to-face interaction which is apparently more safe. Top travel activities they preferred are beach trips, road trips and staycation at 69,54 and 41 percent respectively.

Eyeing tourism recovery in the reopening of more destinations in the country, DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat visited Palawan to check its readiness for the expected reopening of tourism in the country.

The DOT said that the three towns of Coron, El Nido and San Vicente in Palawan, has reported some P3.1 Billion losses in tourism revenues and resulted to 14,000 displaced tourism workers.

“The Department of Tourism sees domestic travel as the catalyst to reviving our industry” said Secretary Puyat in a statement.

Immediate plans for the health and safety protocol dry run in El Nido and San Vicente were conducted. Since last month, Palawan under MGCQ has allowed tourism and leisure activities at 50 percent.

The DOT reminded that only DOT-accredited establishments with Certificates of Authority to Operate will be allowed to reopen.