Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat. Photo courtesy of DOT
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s tourism revenues in 2020 dropped by a staggering P1.54 trillion as domestic and international travels ground to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said.
Puyat disclosed this on Friday during the hearing of the House of Representatives’ appropriations committee on the proposed P3.8-billion budget for 2022 of the Department of Tourism.
In 2019, she said, the tourism industry generated an income of P2.51 trillion, contributing nearly 13 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The figure plummeted to just over P973 billion last year, representing 5.4 percent of the GDP, she added.
The Philippines, she said, suffered an 82-percent decline in tourist arrivals. From 8.26 million in 2019, Puyat said the number of foreign visitors shrank to 1.48 million last year.