THE Department of Tourism (DOT) will be creating a one-stop shop app that will enable travelers to have an easier time making bookings for their visits to the country or its other destinations.
In Wednesday’s House Committee on Appropriations’ hearing on DOT’s budget for 2023, Tourism Secretary-designate Christina Garcia Frasco told lawmakers, “We will also create a tourist life cycle app which will serve as a super app that aims to connect tourists to accredited tourism establishments for accommodation, food, shopping, rides to accredited transportations, tour operators and tour guides.”
She said the app can also provide the agency with “the needed data for tourism intelligence, specifically regarding tourism spending and length of stay of tourists in a destination. The app will also have a tourist support feature as well as an e-commerce platform showcasing Filipino products.”
The “super app” will build on the current Travel Philippines app developed by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the marketing arm of the DOT. Travel Philippines was launched in October 2020, which aimed to provide travelers up-to-date information regarding quarantine and alert levels in tourism destinations, and create itineraries for their trips.
In the agency’s desire to revitalize the tourism industry, Garcia Frasco also said the agency is trying to make travel to the Philippines as “easy and convenient” as possible. “We have already proposed the improvement of the One Health Pass (OHP) to convert it into an e-arrival and e-departure pass so as to omit all the unnecessary questions, and warnings you had to contend with before coming into the country.” She said the DOT is working with the Department of Health, Bureau of Quarantine, and Bureau of Immigration on this matter.
Netizens and travelers have been complaining about the tediousness of filling out the OHP, which sometimes gives both a bar code and QR code, or just a bar code even if they upload complete documents. BoQ officials said, however, the app wasn’t the problem, but the travelers themselves. (See, “Travelers blamed for entry delays,” in the BusinessMirror, August 3, 2022.)
1.3M arrivals as of Aug. 28
The DOT chief said that from February 10 to August 28, the Philippines received 1.35 million international travelers, making her hopeful that by yearend, arrivals would reach 1.7 million.
DOT data showed, of the total arrivals, foreign tourists accounted for some 68.3 percent at 923,322, while overseas Filipinos made up the rest at 429,582.
The United States topped the list of markets at 257,508; South Korea at 165,167; Australia at 59,202; Canada at 54,912; and the United Kingdom at 52,782.
The rest of the markets that made the top 10 list were Japan at 45,411; India 24,084; Singapore 23,273; Vietnam 22,201; and Malaysia 20,293. Arrivals from Europe were also coming in strong with Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, and Norway on the list of top 20 tourist markets for the period.
The DOT is seeking Congressional approval for its proposed budget for 2023 of P3.57 billion, which covers allocations for the Office of the Secretary, the Intramuros Administration, the National Parks Development Committee, and the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving. (See, DOT seeks P3.5-B budget; no full recovery till 2025,” in the BusinessMirror, September 1, 2022.)
Image credits: DOT