The promotion of educational tourism between Japan and the Philippines is being pushed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his five-day working visit to the East Asian country, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Thursday, Feb. 9.
During a roundtable meeting with the tourism sector, Marcos invited Japanese students to pursue English education in the Philippines. The educational tourism covers the exchange of tourism students and professionals.
Marcos said Philippine tourism is being shifted toward “convenient, connected” and equal travel for all travelers and locals who are “preserving our invaluable key and emerging tourist destinations.”
“With this in mind, this government has set the direction to harness the development of tourism in key tourism destinations,” he said.
Through this, we will make sure that hard and soft infrastructure is well-developed, from roads and bridges to medical facilities, clean water supplies, and readily accessible for tourists and locals alike,” he added.
The President noted a 12.9% tourism contribution to the country’s gross domestic product, a potential that he said is being looked at “to reshape the industry to be one of the key economic drivers of the country.”
He also gave assurance that the tourism industry is recovering with over 2.65 million foreign visitors in 2022, up from the expected 1.7 million.
He said the country is “open and ready to welcome more Japanese onto our shores.” AG
