DOT seeks P3.1 billion budget for 2026 to boost tourism

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is seeking a higher allocation in the 2026 national budget, proposing %u20B13.1 billion in total funding, including %u20B1500 million specifically for branding and promotional campaigns.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco made the appeal during a media briefing in Makati City on Thursday, citing the need to support the Philippines' competitiveness as a global tourist destination.

Frasco noted that the department’s promotional budget was significantly reduced in recent years—from %u20B11.2 billion in 2024 to %u20B1200 million, and then to only %u20B1100 million in 2025.

“You cannot expect a full recovery to 100 percent by investing only 100 to 200 million pesos and expect the same numbers,” she said, referring to comparisons with pre-pandemic visitor arrivals and tourism performance.

Frasco also responded to criticisms over the agency’s performance, saying that despite lower funding and missed international arrival targets, the country recorded %u20B13.86 trillion in tourism receipts in 2023 and supported over six million direct jobs.

“That’s a return of over 1,900,000 percent,” she said.

In 2019, the Philippines welcomed 8.26 million foreign tourists, backed by more than %u20B11 billion in promotions funding. The current levels, Frasco argued, limit the department’s capacity to drive international recovery.

The DOT is also recalibrating its 2025 targets, factoring in external risks such as regional geopolitical tensions, slower economic growth in key source markets like South Korea, and the continued suspension of the country’s eVisa program for Chinese travelers.

Frasco said these factors have impacted arrivals and make it difficult to match regional competitors with significantly larger tourism budgets.

Despite the constraints, the department said it remains committed to promoting the Philippines in traditional and emerging markets including the United States, Canada, South Korea, and several Middle Eastern countries.

“We’re fighting back in terms of the headwinds that we are facing with policy shifts that are strategic interventions into the tourism industry’s prospects for the end of the year,” Frasco said.

She reiterated that stronger support is needed to give the country a fair chance in the global tourism market. “As things stand, with only %u20B1100 million in promotions for 2025, it is extremely difficult to allow the Philippines a fighting chance as far as its competitors,” she said.