(Eagle News)–The Philippine government is eyeing a 10-fold increase in tourist arrivals from the original target set under the original Balikbayan program to become Asia’s tourism behemoth.
“Ang ambisyon natin doon one million tourists. That was the ambition. One million tourists can come back. And then kasama na doon ‘yung mga overseas Filipinos..Now, we are targeting 10 times that,” President Bongbong Marcos said during the recent launch of the Tourist Rest Area (TRA) in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.
The President said to achieve this goal, the government must build infrastructure and facilities to ensure tourists’ ease of traveling and easier access to the country’s top destinations.
He said the present government’s focus, in particular, is to improve regional gateways so that tourists visiting the country could go directly to regional destinations without passing through Manila.
“So, like in Cebu, you already have that facility. People can travel from abroad directly to Cebu,” President Marcos said.
“We will make it so that people will travel from abroad directly to Laoag, directly to Bohol, directly to CDO, directly to Tacloban. All of these other places that we want to promote as tourist destinations,” he added.
