(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to reinstate the P400 million branding budget for the Department of Tourism (DOT) to sustain the country’s global standing and lure more tourists.
The president issued the directive during a meeting with Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco in Malacañang on Wednesday.
Marcos said the Philippines was off to a strong start in boosting its international image, citing recent accomplishments by Filipino talents, including gymnast Carlos Yulo, a two-time world champion, and Sofronio Vasquez, winner of “The Voice US.”
“Restore the P400 million branding budget of DOT to sustain the momentum,” the president told the DBM.
He said the funding would be sourced from the president’s contingency fund.
“We have to maintain the momentum. There is already momentum. It doesn’t hurt that we have people like Sofronio winning The Voice and that we had Caloy Yulo winning the Olympics,” Marcos said. “All of these things that our people are doing that [are] great for the Philippines. And then we’re still living off the wonderful performance of Filipino health workers during Covid. That will never be forgotten,” he added.
NEW PARTNERSHIP The Department of Tourism and Klook Philippines ink a strategic alliance to promote the tourist spots in the Philippines during a signing ceremony at the Casa Buenas, Pasay City, Jan. 15, 2025. The partnership between the DOT and Klook Philippines aims to showcase the Philippine Experience Program to increase tourist visits for 2025 and beyond. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
NEW PARTNERSHIP The Department of Tourism and Klook Philippines ink a strategic alliance to promote the tourist spots in the Philippines during a signing ceremony at the Casa Buenas, Pasay City, Jan. 15, 2025. The partnership between the DOT and Klook Philippines aims to showcase the Philippine Experience Program to increase tourist visits for 2025 and beyond. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
NEW PARTNERSHIP The Department of Tourism and Klook Philippines ink a strategic alliance to promote the tourist spots in the Philippines during a signing ceremony at the Casa Buenas, Pasay City, Jan. 15, 2025. The partnership between the DOT and Klook Philippines aims to showcase the Philippine Experience Program to increase tourist visits for 2025 and beyond. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
NEW PARTNERSHIP The Department of Tourism and Klook Philippines ink a strategic alliance to promote the tourist spots in the Philippines during a signing ceremony at the Casa Buenas, Pasay City, Jan. 15, 2025. The partnership between the DOT and Klook Philippines aims to showcase the Philippine Experience Program to increase tourist visits for 2025 and beyond. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
NEW PARTNERSHIP The Department of Tourism and Klook Philippines ink a strategic alliance to promote the tourist spots in the Philippines during a signing ceremony at the Casa Buenas, Pasay City, Jan. 15, 2025. The partnership between the DOT and Klook Philippines aims to showcase the Philippine Experience Program to increase tourist visits for 2025 and beyond. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
NEW PARTNERSHIP The Department of Tourism and Klook Philippines ink a strategic alliance to promote the tourist spots in the Philippines during a signing ceremony at the Casa Buenas, Pasay City, Jan. 15, 2025. The partnership between the DOT and Klook Philippines aims to showcase the Philippine Experience Program to increase tourist visits for 2025 and beyond. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
NEW PARTNERSHIP The Department of Tourism and Klook Philippines ink a strategic alliance to promote the tourist spots in the Philippines during a signing ceremony at the Casa Buenas, Pasay City, Jan. 15, 2025. The partnership between the DOT and Klook Philippines aims to showcase the Philippine Experience Program to increase tourist visits for 2025 and beyond. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
Frasco echoed Marcos’ sentiments and expressed full support for the administration’s initiatives to promote Philippine tourism.
In her presentation, Frasco said insufficient funding for the DOT would lead to reduced engagement with target audiences, fewer trade and consumer activation opportunities, and the absence of global media placements.
Owing to the government’s global campaign to boost Philippine tourism, Frasco said the country gained P760 billion in international visitor receipts from Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024.
Foreign tourists in the Philippines stayed longer at an average of 11 nights in 2024 as compared to only nine in 2019, she added.
The Tourism Department requested the reinstatement of the P400 million branding budget to support its campaign efforts.
Last week, Frasco said the huge slash in the DOT’s branding and promotions budget for 2025 from the proposed P500 million to P100 million would impact the agency’s promotion efforts in key markets, especially at a time when the country is trying to recover its pre-pandemic arrival figures.
“What will be affected by this is not just the ‘Love the Philippines’ campaign but our destinations itself that are ultimately the recipients of the promotions,” Frasco said.
“We anticipate that it will affect tourism arrivals considering that the lesser opportunity that we have to market the Philippines, the lesser chances that there are to reach as many markets or people that we wish,” she added.
This is not the first time the agency has suffered a severe budget cut in its branding campaign. In 2024, its funding for this program went down to P200 million from the P1.27 billion approved in the previous year.
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