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Rosette Adel - Philstar.com
April 30, 2026 | 3:56pm
This photograph taken on December 10, 2025 shows a tourist taking a selfie at the Cambugahay Falls on the island of Siquijor in Central Visayas province in the Philippines.
AFP / Mladen Antonov
MANILA, Philippines — Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay underscored the importance of domestic travel in stabilizing the industry, saying it forms the foundation of the country’s tourism sector.
“Domestic tourism is not secondary. It is foundational,” Angara-Mathay said in her speech during the Tourism Congress of the Philippines National Conference on Tourism Resilience on Wednesday, April 29.
She said the government will focus on strengthening regional circuits, short-break travel, community-based experiences, cultural and festival tourism, as well as staycations, workations and niche routes such as faith, heritage, wellness and farm tourism.
“Domestic tourism is our most immediate stabilizer and strongest demand base,” she said.
Angara-Mathay also emphasized that destinations must be ready before they are promoted.
“We cannot promote what is not ready,” she said, as she outlined plans to improve destination readiness, including last-mile access, visitor flow, safety and overall travel experience.
The Department of Tourism also plans to support the development of organized pasalubong centers in key tourism areas to showcase local products and strengthen micro, small and medium enterprises.
The tourism chief said these initiatives aim to improve not just tourist arrivals but the quality of the visitor experience and encourage repeat travel.
"These are not minor details. They define the visitor experience and influence repeat travel," Angara-Mathay said.
According to the June 2025 data from the Philippine Tourism Satellite Account, domestic tourism expenditure grew by 16.4%, rising from P2.71 trillion in 2023 to P3.16 trillion in 2024, when 134 million domestic trips were recorded.
