President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to reinstate the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) P400-million branding budget.
“Restore the P400 million branding budget of DOT to sustain the momentum,” Marcos Jr. told the DBM during a meeting with Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco in Malacañang on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
The funding will come from the President’s contingency fund.
He noted the country’s strong start in promoting its international image, citing recent achievements by Filipino talents, including gymnast Carlos Yulo and The Voice US champion Sofronio Vasquez.
“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,” said Marcos Jr.
“All of these things that our people are doing that is great for the Philippines. And then we’re still living off the wonderful performance of Filipino health workers during Covid. Hindi na makakalimutan ‘yon,” he added.
For her part, Frasco echoed his sentiments, saying that 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, among other setbacks.
The government’s global tourism campaign, she added, brought P760 billion in international visitor receipts from January to December 2024. Foreign tourists also stayed longer, averaging 11 nights in 2024 compared to nine nights in 2019.IMT
