President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Tourism (DOT) to create more tourism industry-related jobs given the increasing number of foreign and local tourists in the country.

During a post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) forum on Tuesday, DOT Secretary Christina Frasco said local and international tourists have spent an estimated PhP3.86 trillion last year.

“Kaya naman po, direktiba ng ating Presidente na mas dagdagan pa natin ‘yung opportunities for tourism employment,” Frasco said during the forum among Cabinet officials and agency heads held at the Makabagong San Juan National Government Center in San Juan City.

Frasco thanked President Marcos for recognizing the contributions of the tourism industry to the economy in his fourth State of the Nation Address delivered on Monday.

“Pinapasalamatan natin si Presidente Marcos dahil sa pamamagitan ng kanyang pahayag, napapakita natin kung gaano ka importante ‘yung turismo sa ating ekonomiya, dahil nakakapagbigay po ito ng trabaho sa ating mga kababayan,” Frasco said.

Quoting the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Frasco said around 6.75 million Filipinos have tourism-related jobs.

Nearly 10 million more Filipinos have indirect jobs and job opportunities related to local tourism, according to Frasco.

As a result, in 2024 the tourism industry contributed 8.9 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Frasco said the DOT continues to hold training in human capital development in cooperation with agencies such as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Frasco said the DOT has already trained more than 322,000 individuals under the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE) program. | PND