This initiative, known as the Philippine Hotel Industry Strategy Action Plan (PHISAP) 2023-2028, acts as a crucial framework for enhancing infrastructure, diversifying products, boosting marketing and promotional efforts, fostering digital transformation, and encouraging industry collaboration. A key focus of the plan is to promote sustainable practices that will secure the industry’s long-term health and success.
Benito Bengzon Jr., the executive director of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA), emphasized the urgent need for more hotel accommodations to cater to the rising demand from both international and domestic travelers across various destinations in the Philippines.
As of now, the country boasts 335,592 hotel rooms spread across 18,818 lodging facilities. To accommodate the forecasted influx of 11.5 million foreign tourists by 2028, as stated in the Department of Tourism’s National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP), an additional 120,463 rooms will be essential. This figure does not account for the projected 100 million domestic trips that are anticipated annually.
Among the initiatives proposed by the Philippine Hospitality Industry Strategic Action Plan (PHISAP) is a focus on bolstering the global competitiveness of the sector. This includes standardizing data collection related to key strategies for hotels and accommodations, in collaboration with the private sector, to enhance planning and monitoring efforts. Furthermore, the plan aims to cultivate a highly skilled workforce.
Additionally, it advocates for increased marketing and promotional investments within the hotel industry to align with NTDP objectives. The strategy encourages public-private partnerships and seeks to improve the investment landscape by utilizing optimized tools for tourism planning, collaboration, and incentives.
Tourism secretary Christina Frasco remarked: “The challenges that we face are too vast and too complex to be solved by any single sector or by government alone. Together, we must build a resilient, adaptable, and forward-thinking tourism ecosystem to meet the demands of today’s travellers while anticipating the needs of the future.”
Tags: Tourism, Christina Frasco, Benito Bengzon Jr., Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA), Philippine
