PICC, Pasay City
April 15, 2024
“The best way to draw crowds is to crowdsourcing ideas and how to bring them in. The response to this Tourism Champions Challenge, I have been told, has been nothing but less than overwhelming. Taken together, the submissions form one impressive catalogue of creativity and innovation,” said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., lauding the project proposals submitted by different localities across the nation that won the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC).
The TCC is a nationwide campaign that incentivizes tourism development among cities and municipalities, enjoining local chief executives to propose tourism projects that will spur economic development across different regions.
During the awarding ceremony, 15 local government units (LGUs) from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao were hailed as tourism champions and granted with funds for tourism projects amounting to PhP20 million (1st place), PhP15 million (2nd place), PhP10 million (3rd place), PhP8 million (4th place) and PhP7 million (5th place).
President Marcos Jr. underscored that their submissions are no longer mere proposals but existing projects of proven value and unqualified success. “This is the way tourism should be developed in our view, like economic growth, not relying on trickle-down, but built from the ground up,” he said.
More than the TCC, the government remains relentless in strengthening the country’s tourism industry with various projects, including the modernization of airports, upgrading of seaports and upskilling of human resources, among many others.
“When our friendliness is matched with our fabulous sites, it is the perfect combination. It is hard to beat. We are world-class. We have sun, we have sea, we have surf, and shopping. Add na rin, sama na rin natin masarap na pagkain, mga piyesta at tsaka pag-eenjoy. By themselves, these are wonders already to behold,” the Chief Executive expressed. He noted, however, that these should not make the industry complacent and that it must work harder to make the country stand out amidst the competitive market.
“Make no mistake about it: The world is ready to love the Philippines… We show the world that we have long been ready to love them back. Today, our LGU tourism champions have proven equal to that challenge,” he added, also revealing the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority’s (TIEZA) approval for the grant of an additional PhP5 million to each winner.
“Each winner deserves this additional reward towards building infinite capabilities to make everything better. It is also a reaffirmation of my belief that local governments are our indispensable and active partners in national development,” President Marcos Jr. continued, reiterating the Administration’s commitment to build more infrastructure, implement tourism-friendly policies and arouse interest from global audiences.
The TCC forms part of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028 which serves as the framework of the national government in the implementation of various programs, projects and activities for the growth, development and transformation of the nation’s tourism.
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