DOT supports President Marcos' push to create jobs through tourism

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has expressed its full support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to prioritize the creation of high-quality jobs as a key strategy in addressing poverty and hunger in the country.

"We thank President Marcos for recognizing the tourism sector as a vital contributor to our economy and a powerful tool in uplifting the lives of our people through jobs and livelihood," said Christina Frasco, Tourism Secretary, in an official statement issued after the President's fourth SONA.

Frasco emphasized the DOT's ongoing partnerships with agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Small Business Corporation (SBCorp), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to support tourism workers and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Among the programs being implemented are social protection for tourism frontliners during calamities, the Turismo Asenso loan program which provides access to financing for MSMEs, and the Balik Bayani sa Turismo initiative that helps reintegrate returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) into the tourism workforce.

President Marcos highlighted on his 4th State of the Nation Address that tourism as a sector with strong potential to generate employment and stimulate economic growth.