Press Release
March 16, 2009

Gordon: New tourism law to spur 'tourism rush'

With President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's impending enactment into law of the tourism bill, Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today said he sees more enterprising Filipinos literally looking at the shores of their homeland for fortune.

"Americans had what was called the 'land rush', where people were invited to stake claims on uninhabited land. The tourism bill challenges every Filipino to engage in a 'tourism rush' where all are enjoined to put their stake in new areas that can be developed and promoted as tourism destination under the new law, " said Gordon.

The new tourism bill which would soon become a law specifically provides for the establishment of Tourism Enterprise Zones (TEZ).

Local government units together with private enterprises may apply for the establishment of a TEZ in areas suited for tourism. Within the TEZ, entrepreneurs locating there will be entitled to incentives previously given only to industrial locators.

"The tourism bill is not a manna from heaven; it is a challenge for Filipinos to take stock in the beauty of their homeland and the talents of their countrymen. We already have everything we need to become one of the biggest tourism destinations in the world but it will not come without hardwork," said Gordon.

The former tourism secretary also called on Filipinos with entrepreneurial spirit all over the country to look for places in their home provinces that can be promoted as tourism destinations and work with their local leaders as well as tourism officials to prepare it for development as tourist destinations.

"We spot more areas for tourism development. Do you live near a beautiful beach, river, or waterfall? Is your area good for hiking? Does your town have a great fiesta or do your people have colorful traditions? If you want to develop this into a tourism destination, all you have to do is to get in touch with your local leader and tourism official or even my office," said Gordon.

These "tourism enterprise zones" which will be set up in strategic areas, such as Cebu, Davao, Bohol, Laguna, the Ilocos provinces, Pangasinan, Cavite, the Camarines provinces, Sorsogon, Boracay, Palawan, Iloilo, and other provinces would boost the Philippines as a premier tourism destination not only in the Asia - Pacific region but also to the rest of the world.

"We have many examples of how tourism can make a huge impact on a town. Donsol in Sorsogon grew immensely after catching the eye of Whale Watchers and the Masskara Festival of Bacolod took them from the doldrums when the sugar industry there experienced a reversal," he said.

"With the Tourism Act soon to be in place, perhaps we can imagine even some of our more impoverished provinces transformed into tourist havens," he added.

The Tourism Act of 2009 seeks: (1) to regulate and uplift the standard of tourism services, (2) to strengthen promotional capability of our tourism industry, (3) to create infrastructure such as hotel development and beaches, (4) to encourage private sector participation, (5) to ensure and focus a cooperative approach among various agencies and institutions, and (6) to ensure competitiveness and increase market share.

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