MANILA, 27 February 2024: Dive tourism has surfaced at the top of the priority agenda for the Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT) as part of its commitment to gear up sustainable tourism development initiatives across the country.
In 2023, dive tourism contributed more than PHP73 billion to the country’s economy, or almost twice the PHP37 billion revenue generated from the industry in 2022.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco emphasised the importance of dive tourism during last week’s Philippine International Dive Expo (PHIDEX) opening ceremony at the World Trade Center Metro Manila.
“As one of the mega biodiverse countries worldwide, we are home to more than 500 species of corals and 2,000 species of fish. Therefore, we take this distinction for the Philippines to heart with a firm commitment to ensure not just the marketability but, more importantly, the sustainability of our dive industry,” Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco explained.
“We can look forward to yielding additional revenue from this industry, reinforcing the Philippine position as the World’s Premier Dive Destination and tourism’s role as now one of the strongest pillars of our economy, providing livelihood and employment for millions of Filipinos.”
In addition to organising the PHIDEX, the DOT introduced various dive festivals and programmes in several regions nationwide to support dive tourism, including the successful inaugural Philippine Tourism Dive Dialogue (PTDD) last September in Cebu.
“We have also expanded our dive tourism offerings to emerging and lesser-known destinations, bringing our total to approximately 120 dive destinations across the Philippines,” Secretary Frasco added.
PHIDEX 2024 delivered networking prospects for dive decision-makers, communities, and individuals through value-added components, including the Dive Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) business-to-business meetings, Dive Conference, and Dive Exhibit featuring the country’s best dive offerings.
