Inatasan ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ang mga tanggapan ng pamahalaan na pagsama-samahin o gawing iisa ang mga serbisyong pang-turismo na inaalok ng Pilipinas, upang maging competitive global tourism market ang bansa.
Ginawa ng Pangulo ang kautusan sa pulong kasama ang mga miyembro ng Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Tourism Sector sa Malacañang, kung saan inilatag ang mga rekomendasyon upang makahatak pa ng mas maraming turista.
Inihalimbawa ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. ang tourism industry ng Thailand, na aniya ay mayroong mas organize structure para sa tourism requirements tulad ng hotel at flight booking, tour guides, at iba pa.
“I was talking to a friend and he said I am going to Thailand and I said why go to Thailand, go to the Philippines where it’s nicer, cheaper. But he said in the Philippines [I book] the hotel, I have to be the one to arrange for my driver. I have to be the one to arrange my tour guide, and if I want to go out of town, and then I pay each step of the way,” —Pangulong Marcos.
Kailangan aniya na maging consolidated ang sistema upang maging madali sa mga turista ang kanilang pagbabakasyon sa bansa.
“So, there’s the thing. I guess, you know, consolidate the system. So that it’s because when you’re on vacation, you just want to stay at the beach and have a nice time. So, I think it’s the facilities that we have to develop,” —Pangulong Marcos.
Kaugnay nito, inatasan rin ng Pangulo ang Department of Tourism (DOT) na pag-aralan ang potensyal sa food travel at sports development, bilang panghihikayat sa mga turista papasok ng Pilipinas.
“The one area that I think is easy is sports development because they (athletes) are here, we just have to make the facilities better. Also food tourism has huge potential but it is largely untapped, there’s a lot of room to improve,” —Pangulong Marcos. | ulat ni Racquel Bayan
