Palace seeks more private investments in tourism
By Catherine J. Teves
MANILA, Feb. 18 (PNA) -- Malacanang is calling on the private sector to invest more in tourism facilities to accommodate the country's constantly increasing number of tourists.
"Roads, ports and other infrastructure are in place already, so what's needed now is to set up these facilities," Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Ricardo Saludo said during a briefing at the Palace on Thursday.
He believes it is wise for the private sector to heed this call since indicators show encouraging prospects for Philippine tourism, which the government reported as recording a more than double expansion in the past five years.
To help address manpower needs, he said the state-run Technical Education and Skills Development Authority is offering training in tourism-related work.
For the January-September 2009 period alone, the government recorded a total of 5.2 million domestic and foreign tourists nationwide.
This is 16.66 percent higher than the total tourist volume the government reported for 2008.
Authorities are bullish the country's projected 2010 economic growth, which government estimates at between 2.6 percent and 3.6 percent, augurs well for even more tourist arrivals nationwide. - PNA
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=25612.0
