•TOURISM INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES HAS

BEEN IDENTIFIED AS ONE OF THE POWERFUL

ENGINES FOR A STRONG AND SUSTAINED
ECONOMIC GROWTH.
 PRE-AND POST MARTIAL LAW YEARS OF
PHILIPPINE TOURISM

YEARS BEFORE 1972

•AS EARLY AS 1950S, FILIPINOS HAD ALREADY REALIZED THE
POTENTIAL OF TOURISM INDUSTRY AS AN IMPORTANT
ELEMENT OF THE GROWTH OF PHILIPPINE ECONOMY.
•IN VIEW OF THIS, A PRIVATE ORGANIZATION, THE PHILIPPINE
TOURIST AND TRAVEL ASSOCIATION (PTTA), WAS ESTABLISHED
IN 1950
•THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONALIZED THE PTTA IN
1952 THROUGH REPUBLIC ACT NO. 710
•IN 1956 THROUGH REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1478, THE BOARD OF
TRAVEL AND TOURIST INDUSTRY (BTTI) WAS CREATED BY THE
PHILIPPINE CONGRESS UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (DCI)
•THIS PERIOD COVERS THE EARLY BEGINNINGS OF THE
TOURISM INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES. THE INITIATIVES OF
THE PRIVATE SECTOR WAS SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT WHICH LED TO THE GRADUAL AND MODEST
INCREASE IN TOURIST ARRIVALS FROM 51,000 IN 1960 TO
144,000 IN 1971.
YEARS 1972 - 1986
•IT WAS OBSERVED THAT DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE MARTIAL
LAW ERA, THERE WAS SURGE IN FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVALS
FROM 166,000 IN 1972 TO 1,008,000 IN 1980.
•THE POLITICAL TURMOIL WHICH RESULTED TO INCREASED STREET
PROTESTS AND REBEL ACTIVITIES IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE
MARTIAL LAW YEARS, EVENTUALLY AFFECTED THE TOURISM
INDUSTRY, WHICH PUSHED DOWN THE TOURIST ARRIVALS FROM
1,008,000 IN 1980 TO 782,000 IN 1986.
•TO ADDRESS THE AILING TOURISM INDUSTRY DUE TO POLITICAL
INSTABILITY, DOT WAS REORGANIZED STRUCTURALLY AND
FUNCTIONALLY WITH EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 120 SIGNED IN
JANUARY 30, 1986 JUST BEFORE THE PEOPLE POWER (EDSA 1)
AND THE REMOVAL OF PRES. FERDINAND MARCOS FROM
MALACANANG.
YEARS 1986-2000

•THE FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVALS PICKED UP AGAIN STARTING

1989.
•THE INITIATIVES DURING 1992-1998 ENCOURAGED THE
DEVELOPMENT OF ECOTOURISM AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM FRAMEWORK IN THE COUNTRY. THESE
LED TO THE ISSUANCE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 111 IN 1999
ESTABLISHING THE GUIDELINES FOR ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT
IN THE PHILIPPINES.
• THE STRUCTURED NATIONAL POLICY AND STRATEGIC GUIDELINES ON
ECOTOURISM WERE FORMULATED DURING THE 1999 NATIONAL
ECOTOURISM CONGRESS. THIS POLICY PROVIDED FOR THE
“ENCOURAGEMENT, DEVELOPMENT, MANAGEMENT AND PROMOTION OF
THE ECOLOGICAL TOURISM (ECOTOURISM) AS A TOOL TO SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT, TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT, MANAGEMENT,
PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF THE COUNTRY’S ENVIRONMENT,
NATURAL RESOURCES AND CULTURAL HERITAGE.”
THE RAMOS ADMINISTRATION’S LEGACY TO
PHILIPPINE TOURISM
1991
• IN 1991, DOT UNDER SECRETARY NARZALINA LIM -- IN COLLABORATION WITH UNDP
AND THE WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION -- PREPARED A PHILIPPINE TOURISM
MASTER PLAN. ITS OBJECTIVE WAS TO POSITION THE PHILIPPINES AS A WORLD-CLASS
TOURISM DESTINATION UNDER THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT. THE RAMOS ADMINISTRATION ADOPTED THAT MASTER PLAN IN 1992
AND ENHANCED IT BY INSTITUTIONALIZING THE CONCEPT OF "ECO-TOURISM."
1992
•THE STATIC OF VISITING TOURIST HAD GONE UP THE RECORD
HIGH OF 1.2 MILLION. WITH THIS LEGACY OF THE FORMER
PRESIDENT THE PHILIPPINES HAD ONCE BECAME THE
“ECONOMIC TIGER OF ASIA”.
2000
•CONSEQUENTLY, AT THE ONSET OF THE YEAR 2000 THE
NUMBER OF TOURISTS HAD DRAMATICALLY INCREASED. IT
HAD UNPRECEDENTEDLY RISEN TO 2.2 MILLION.
• ECO-MISMO SOUGHT TO PROMOTE GREEN TOURISM THRU BEST-PRACTICES IN
ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY PRODUCTION AND SERVICES. PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
WERE WORKED OUT TO INSURE EFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES, NATIVE TALENTS
AND NATURAL ASSETS TO ENHANCE LOCAL ECONOMIES, PROVIDE JOBS, AND
ALLEVIATE POVERTY. THESE DESTINATIONS WERE:
• 22 JAN 2010 - CEBU-MACTAN: TACKLED RELEVANT THEMES ON THE
CONSERVATION OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES, THE ROLES OF
GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS IN ECO-TOURISM/ECO-
PRODUCTIVITY, AND PROFITABLE OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT WHILE
MAINTAINING SUSTAINABILITY.
• 23 JAN 2010 - BOHOL: FOCUSED ON ISLAND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT, COMBINING
NATURE ENHANCEMENT AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION -- IN KEY AREAS AS MARINE
CONSERVATION, LOGISTICS, WATER UTILIZATION, SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT,
ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND CLEAN MECHANISMS.
• 19 FEB 2010 - SARANGANI-GENERAL SANTOS: PROMOTED THE INTEGRATION OF
NATURAL ATTRACTIONS AND INDIGENOUS CULTURE IN SOCSKSARGEN WITH EASY
ACCESSIBILITY THROUGH THE GENSAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. SARANGANI IS STILL
WIDE-OPEN FOR EXPANDED ECO-TOURISM/ECO-PRODUCTIVITY INITIATIVES. IT HAS A
DIVERSE SEA-BEACH-MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE AND A RICH BLAAN, TBOLI, AND MUSLIM
CULTURE LIKE ITS IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORS.
• 20 FEB 2010 - SOUTH COTABATO-KORONADAL CITY:AVAILED OF THE
SOCSKSARGEN ECONOMIC CENTER WHICH BOASTS OF BETTER DEVELOPED
COMMERCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE. WITH ITS WELL-ENDOWED NATURAL
LANDSCAPE, AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES AND PRODUCTIVITY CENTERS, SOUTH
COTABATO IS EASILY ACCESSED THRU GENSAN GATEWAYS TO SOUTHERN
MINDANAO.
• 27 FEB 2010 - CAMARINES SUR: POSITIONED AS A NEW HUB FOR FOREIGN
INVESTMENT. WITH THE PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF ECOZONES IN AT LEAST
FIVE NEW LOCATIONS, EVEN MORE INVESTORS ARE EXPECTED IN COMING
YEARS. ITS WATER SPORTS CENTER AND COMBINATION OF SEAS-BEACHES-
MOUNTAINS ARE WORLD-CLASS.
THE TOURISM INDUSTRY REFORMS DURING
THE ARROYO STEWARDSHIP
2003
•THE NUMBER OF TOURIST IN THE COUNTRY HAD ESCALATED
TO 2,838,000, WITH THE TOURIST GROWTH OF 29% THIS
IMPRESSIVE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE AND
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM HAD
CONTINUED FOR SEVERAL MORE YEARS.
2007
•IT REACHED AS HIGH AS 3.4 MILLION, DURING THE FIRST
QUARTER OF THE SAME YEAR THE TOURISM IN THE
PHILIPPINES HAD UNCEASINGLY INCREASED. THERE ARE
APPROXIMATELY 3.9 MILLION TOURIST IN THE
PHILIPPINES.
2011
•THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM HAD RECORDED 3.9
MILLION TOURIST VISITING THE COUNTRY, 11.2%
MORE THAN THE 3.5 MILLION REGISTERED IN 2010.
 EXPANDING TOURIST ACCOMMODATION CAPACITIES
•SOME 5,008 HOTEL ROOMS WERE OPENED IN METRO MANILA AND
KEY TOURIST DESTINATIONS AS THE DOT ESPOUSED FOR MORE
ACCOMMODATION FACILITIES TO COPE WITH THE INCREASING
VISITOR VOLUME. AMONG THESE NEW FACILITIES WERE REMINGTON
HOTEL (790 ROOMS), RADISSON BLU HOTEL-CEBU (400 ROOMS), ST
GILES HOTEL (240 ROOMS),AND ACACIA GROVE HOTEL (265 ROOMS).
ADDITIONAL 7,350 ROOMS ARE EXPECTED TO OPEN FROM 2012 TO
2015.
2012
•4.27 MILLION TOURIST HAD ARRIVED IN THE PHILIPPINES,
AFTER THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM IN THE PHILIPPINES HAD
PUBLICIZED THE TOURISM MARKETING CAMPAIGN “IT’S MORE
FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES”.
2017
•THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS
REPORT OF THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM RANKED
THE PHILIPPINES 79TH OUT OF 136 COUNTRIES
OVERALL.
2018
•THE PHILIPPINES HAD WELCOMED A RECORD OF 7.1
MILLION TOURIST, DESPITE ITS FAMOUS RESORT THE
BORACAY BEING SHUT HALF A YEAR TO RECOVER.
2019
• FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 2019, A TOTAL OF 4,133,050 INTERNATIONAL
TOURISTS VISITED THE PHILIPPINES, MARKING AN 11.43 PERCENT
INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR’S FIGURES
• FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2019, TOURIST ARRIVALS REACHED A GROWTH
RATE OF 21.41 PERCENT AT 643,780 ARRIVALS VERSUS THE 530,267 IN
JUNE 2018.
TOP 5 ECONOMIC BOOSTING TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES
 METRO MANILA
ALONG THIS LINE, THE TOURISTS’ ARRIVAL IN
METRO MANILA HAD CREATED AN
IMPRESSIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE
PERCENTAGE OF 2.24%. ON THE OTHER HAND,
THE MOST POPULARLY VISITED TOURIST
SPOTS IN METRO MANILA; ARE TAGAYTAY
AND INTRAMUROS RESPECTIVELY.
 •BAGUIO
THE PHILIPPINES’ SUMMER CAPITAL. OVER
THE YEARS, IT HAD MADE PHILIPPINE
TOURISM BEAM WITH PRIDE, WHEN BAGUIO
HAD INCREASED ITS TOURISM REVENUES BY
20%. THIS CAME AFTER SOME OF THE MOST
NOTABLE PHILIPPINE ARCHAEOLOGISTS, HAD
DISCOVERED THE PRESENCE OF THE
“KABAYAN MUMMIES.” AS ESTIMATED, THE
TOTAL TOURISM REVENUE OF BAGUIO IS
AMOUNTING 770,187 MILLION PESOS AND
CONTINUES TO GROW AS OF THIS YEAR
SOURCES:
HTTP://DRIFTWOODJOURNEYS.COM/A-GLIMPSE-ON-PHILIPPINE-TOURISM-THEN-AND-NOW/
HTTPS://WWW.PNA.GOV.PH/ARTICLES/1077566
HTTP://RPDEV.ORG/RAMOS-ARCHIVES/ARTICLES//VIEW/ECOMISMO:-GREEN-TOURISM-GREEN-PRODUCTIVITY/198
HTTPS://WWW.SHS-CONFERENCES.ORG/ARTICLES/SHSCONF/PDF/2014/09/SHSCONF_4ICTR2014_01032.PDF
HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/TOURISM_IN_THE_PHILIPPINES#HISTORY
HTTP://WWW.TOURISM.GOV.PH/FILES/2011%20DOT%20YEAR%20END%20REPORT.PDF