Hinarap ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ang nasa 300 participants ng 2023 Very Important Pinoy o VIP Tour, para sa kanilang siyam na araw na bakasyon sa Pilipinas.

Kilala bilang dating Ambassadors, Consuls General, and Tourism Director Tours to the Philippines, ito ang ika-15 VIP tour ay humikayat ng kapwa Amerikano at Filipino Americans na tumungo sa bansa, para i-explore ang ganda ng Pilipinas, partikular sa pamamagitan ng pagbisita sa Iloilo at Boracay.

Ginamit ni Pangulong Marcos ang pagkakataon upang hikayatin ang participants ng VIP Tours na ipagpatuloy lamang na gawing makinang ang pangalan ng Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng pagbida sa magagandang lugar o destinasyon sa bansa.

“And there are a great many opportunities for you and for the country as we try to transform the economy, we try to transform our society into one that is more agile, one that is more prepared and forward looking in terms of the new environment that we have to live and work in.” —Pangulong Marcos.

Ang Marcos Administrastion aniya, prayoridad na maisulong ang industriya ng turismo, lalo’t malaking papel ang ginagampanan nito sa pangkabuuang pagunlad ng ekonomiya ng bansa.

“In my view, this plays a part in our transformation of our economy, tourism plays a very large part of that, foreign direct investments coming in certainly play a great deal or part of that, and we look to Filipinos not only in the PH but everwhere around the world because Filipinos around the world have become and continue to become an important part not only of our Philippine society but also of the places where you decided to live and work.” —Pangulong Marcos.

Ang VIP tours na ito ay naisakatuparan sa pagtutulungan ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), lahat ng Philippine Foreign Service Post sa US, at ng Department of Tourism (DOT).| ulat ni Racquel Bayan