Cover Department of Tourism (DOT) secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (Photo: DOT)
Department of Tourism (DOT) secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (Photo: DOT)
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Tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco shares her initiatives for transforming the dive tourism industry in the country
To expand the development of our country’s dive tourism industry, the Department of Tourism (DOT) held the first Philippine Tourism Dive Dialogue (PTDD) at the Fili Hotel at NuStar Cebu. With meaningful panel discussions centred on Marine Environmental Protection and Conservation, diving products and investment opportunities, the two-day event showcased the Philippines’ underwater wonders.
DOT and its infrastructure arm, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), have provided hyperbaric chambers in popular dive sites in the country to bolster the local dive industry further. Four chambers can already be found in Mabini, Batangas, Panglao, Bohol, Mandaue, Cebu, and Puerto Princesa, Palawan—with more to be placed in Dumaguete, Boracay, Puerto Galera, and Daanbantayan Island.
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Above DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (Photo: DOT)
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (Photo: DOT)
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Following the Philippines’ fifth straight win as Asia’s Leading Dive Destination at the World Travel Awards, the PTDD addressed partners, stakeholders and dive enthusiasts from around the world in sustaining the success of our country’s dive tourism industry. As a licensed diver herself, Frasco has a personal connection with our oceans—aiming to protect and nurture them for generations to come. “The overarching concern is, of course, to ensure the sustainability of our dive destinations. The Philippines is identified as one of only 18 mega-biodiverse countries in the world. We are at the centre of the Coral Triangle. Therefore, there is a need to consolidate all national, local, and private stakeholder efforts to protect and conserve our natural resources and to ensure full government support for developing our tourism destinations towards sustainable tourism,” said Frasco.
However, achieving this is not without its challenges. Typhoons ravaged the Visayas region, and the crumbling economy makes recovery a tall order. “We all know the economic devastation caused by the pandemic and the various calamities that we had, specifically here in the Visayas region with Super Typhoon Odette.
So the Department of Tourism has directed us to ensure that we collaborate with our partners in the private and public sectors to strengthen the foundations of tourism by addressing infrastructure, connectivity, digitisation, innovation and expanding our tourism offerings beyond our nature-based destinations,” shared the DOT Chief.
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Above Cultural Dance (Photo: Rod Lagusad/PTV)
Cultural Dance (Photo: Rod Lagusad/PTV)
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Guests of the first-ever PTDD were then invited to the iconic Cebu Provincial Capitol, where they enjoyed a hearty meal of the island’s best delicacies with cultural dance performances from the province’s neighbouring municipalities and cities, hosted by Cebu’s governor, Gwen Garcia, represented by vice governor Hilario Davide III.
Above Coastal Clean up at Lapu-Lapu City (Photo: Rod Lagusad/PTV)
Coastal Clean up at Lapu-Lapu City (Photo: Rod Lagusad/PTV)
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On the second day of the Dive Dialogue, Frasco led a coastal cleanup activity at the shores of the Mactan Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. The tourism chief emphasised the importance of “actualising love” for the Philippines and showed that her actions matched her words by joining communities to pick up trash on the coastline. “It is only right that the highlight of our very first Philippine Tourism Dive Dialogue is to actualise this love by protecting that which we love, our marine resources,” Frasco shared.
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Gabriel found his passion for writing through poetry in high school. He sharpened his skills at Ateneo de Manila University and hopes to write a play worthy of Broadway one day. A self-proclaimed geek, he loves to spend his free time playing video games and board games. When he's not clicking heads on Valorant or roleplaying as a barbarian in Dungeons and Dragons, you can find him exploring art galleries or watching stage plays.
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A creative writer who writes about anything and everything, Gabriel loves to dive deep into the arts and culture scene—as well as going on long road trips for travel pieces.
You can reach him on Instagram at @gbohol for any leads, casual conversations or game invites.
