DOT sets employment target at 7.4 M by 2016

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Tourism (DOT) has set a higher tourism employment target of 7.4 million by 2016 from earlier target of 6.8 million due to the projected improvement in the country’s domestic tourism in the near-term, official documents showed.

DOT data indicated that the new 2016 tourism employment target will represent an 18.8 percent share of the country’s national employment figure. The 7.4 million employment target is also a steady growth from 6.3 million in 2015, 5.4 million in 2014 and 4.9 million in 2013. In 2012, actual tourism employment stood at 4.2 million.

“That means 18.8 percent of all employment will be in tourism. What does this mean? It means one of every five Filipinos will be employed in tourism. We hope to achieve this. We see tourism sector growth to be stable,” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. told The STAR.

The DOT also adjusted the domestic travelers target for 2016 to 56.1 million from an earlier projected 35.5 million as it intensifies efforts in promoting inclusive growth which is expected to positively affect the tourism sector.

Domestic travelers reached 37.5 million in 2011, surpassing the original target of 29.1 million for the year. This prompted the DOT to raise the 2016 domestic tourism target to 56.1 million travelers.

The tourism sector directly employed an estimated 3.8 million individuals in 2011, a 3.5 percent increase from 3.7 million in 2010.

It also contributed P571.3 billion or 5.9 percent of GDP in 2011, 10.2 percent higher than the P518.5 billion or 5.8 percent contribution to GDP in 2010.

The industry targets an 8.7 percent share of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016. This target, however, is still below the average share of tourism to the global economy of 9.3 percent and South East Asian economy of 11 percent in 2012.

The industry surpassed the four-million international tourist arrival mark for the first time with 4.3 million visitors in 2012, 21.4 percent higher than the 3.5 million visitors in 2010.

As of end-June 2013, Jimenez said foreign tourist arrivals reached 2.4 million, 11 percent higher than the same period last year. The DOT targets to reach 5.5 million international tourist arrivals in 2013 and 10 million in 2016. –Donnabelle L. Gatdula (The Philippine Star)