THE Department of Tourism (DoT) officially presented on Friday, April 5, its industry plan for the Visayas cluster in Iloilo City as part of its mandate to improve the country's tourism sector.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco led the presentation and emphasized in her statement the primary goal of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028, which serves as the national government's blueprint for establishing a Philippine tourism industry based on Filipino culture, heritage and identity over the next five years.

The plan serves as a roadmap for the industry on how to implement sustainability procedures and ensure the sector's resilience and global competitiveness.

"The NTDP is not just the plan but a dynamic framework that requires all of us, our active engagement from policymaking to grassroots implementation," Secretary Frasco said.

The NTDP 2023-2028 offers a framework for the creation and execution of numerous programs, initiatives and activities aimed at sustaining the growth, development and transformation of Philippine tourism as a whole.

The plan seeks to employ 6.3 million Filipinos by 2028, accounting for approximately 12.9 percent of overall employment in the country.

International visitor numbers are also expected to increase in the coming years, with 7.7 million projected this year, 8.4 million in 2025, 9.3 million in 2026, 10.2 million in 2027 and 11.5 million in 2028.

The anticipated percentage of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) by 2028 is 14.01 percent.

"The NTDP is our guiding light, and we will steer our ship through the challenges ahead towards the horizons of inevitable success for Philippine tourism. Let us reaffirm our commitment to Philippine tourism," Frasco said.

"And together, through our collective efforts, we will rise to the challenge and the vision of our President of transforming the Philippines into a tourism powerhouse in Asia," she concluded.