MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism (DOT) hopes Filipino travelers will patronize more Philippine tourist destinations with the revival of its Philippine Tourism Awards that would honor key players in the industry.
The Philippine Tourism Awards was launched on Feb. 2 and would “give recognition to institutions, individuals, pillars, changemakers and trailblazers in the various sectors of tourism that have contributed greatly to the fact that tourism is now one of the strongest pillars of our economy,” Tourism Secretary Cristina Garcia-Frasco said.
The award scheme would also honor tourism stakeholders that practice sustainable tourism and strongly promote the local culture and heritage of tourist destinations.
Among those that would be honored by the Philippine Tourism Awards are hotels and resorts, Mabuhay accommodations, events venues and organizers, tour guides and even journalists, among others.
Nominations are now open, which can be submitted to the website of the Philippine Tourism Awards at https://beta.tourism.gov.ph/philippine-tourism-awards-3/
The DOT’s regional directors would be the first to declare recognitions, followed by the national level to be done before the year ends.
Asked how the Philippine Tourism Awards would help boost domestic tourism, Frasco said, “We find reviving this awards scheme as well as improving it to be more inclusive to emerging and lesser known destinations that will encourage our Filipino domestic tourists to discover our hidden gems.”
The accolades would also serve as “incentives to local government units to improve their tourism services so that our tourists will be encouraged to go there.”
The Philippine Tourism Awards, part of the agency’s programs for its 50th anniversary in 2023, was a “reinvention of the former Kasama sa Lakbay Kaunlaran ng Bayan (KALAKBAY) Awards and Tourism Star Philippines.”
Among the programs the DOT has launched since Frasco took over in 2022 were the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence training program for tourism workers, the Philippine Experience program and the new tourism campaign “Love the Philippines.”