Tourism act of 2009

LAPU-LAPU CITY (PND) --- The Philippines’ tourism industry can be more globally competitive with the signing into law today of the National Tourism Act of 2009 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the “One Visayas Summit on Climate Change” at the Imperial Palace here.

The Tourism Act of 2009 or Republic Act (RA) 9593 declares it a national policy for tourism to be one of the country’s engines of investment and employment, and of growth and national development.

The President noted during the one-on-one regional interview that the signing of the tourism statute in Cebu is appropriate at this time, as the province is the “number one international destination in Asia” while the Visayas region is the country’s tourism center.

RA 9593 declares "a national policy for tourism as an engine of investment, employment, growth and national development, and strengthens the Department of Tourism (DOT) and its attached agencies to effectively and efficiently implement that policy, and appropriates funds therefore."

With the new law, the DOT has been “given a bigger jet engine so we can climb up. It provides us more capability and resources to make our tourism industry very globally competitive” as the law allows the setting up of a system of accreditation, standards-setting and classification to make the tourism industry globally competitive, said Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.

The Act declares that tourism is an "indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance, which must be harnessed as an engine of socio-economic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange and employment, and to continue to mold an enhanced sense of national pride for all Filipinos."

The new law empowers the DOT to strengthen the different agencies attached to it in order to more efficiently and effectively coordinate the functions and resources of government for tourism promotions and development programs, as well as eliminate overlaps of functions.

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