Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat. (FILE) Photo courtesy of the Department of Tourism
BACOLOD CITY –– Tourism revenue in Western Visayas dropped from P131.4 billion in 2019 to P22.9 billion in 2020, according to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
She said 5.8 million tourists visited Western Visayas in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused the number to drop to 1.1 million last year.
“The Department of Tourism (DOT) is here to help all of you. The mandate of the DOT is to promote tourism, but we sought ways to give financial assistance to those who lost their jobs and to provide loans (to businesses) at zero interest rates,” she said.
Puyat thanked the country’s lawmakers for allocating P3.1 billion in financial aid to those working in the tourism industry, who have been provided P5,000 each in assistance.
The secretary said P6 billion has also been allocated for businesses payable in four years at zero interest and zero collateral, with a one-year grace period before payment starts.
She said 5.7 million people work in the country’s tourism industry but because of the pandemic, 4.8 million jobs have been affected.