Noy calls on int’l community to fight climate change

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino continues to call on the international community to combat climate change that threatens even tourist spots in vulnerable countries like the Philippines, which seeks to sustain its growth by having an improved tourism sector.

“It is true: We have some of the best beaches and dive spots in the world. Sadly, these areas are also the ones most vulnerable to climate risk – whether in the form of loss of biodiversity or coastal erosion. Our immediate response: To plan ahead and reduce the impact of the effects of climate change on our tourist destinations, amongst others,” the President said at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) International Conference on Tourism and Climate Change in Legazpi City, Albay.

He said ignoring this problem means that the increasingly frequent and intense storms will continue to make landfall in our countries.

Aquino said changes in temperature will continue to decrease water supply and threaten food security, and island countries such as those in the South Pacific will continue to worry that within a few decades their countries might be consumed by rising water levels.

The President said that he was grateful for the 4.68 million international tourists that visited the Philippines last year, an increase of 10 percent compared with the previous year.

“And we remain committed to breaching the 10 million mark by the time my term ends in about two years and one month. On top of this, in 2011 we beat our initial 2016 target of 35.5 million domestic travelers, recording 37.5 million in 2011 alone. Allow me to repeat that: We met our target for 2016 five years ahead of schedule. This pushed us to set our sights higher. Now we have increased our 2016 target to 56.1 million domestic travelers, and we will remain in active pursuit of this target as well,” Aquino said.

He said that as long as tourism is pursued in a sustainable manner, it would be one of the shortest and most efficient paths to growth.

Aquino cited the municipality of Donsol in Sorsogon that became a revitalized community because of tourism.

With the help of the Department of Tourism and the World Wide Fund for Nature, the local government of Donsol was able to capitalize on the presence of whale sharks or butanding in local waters. – With Celso Amo