DOT backs using stats to assess tourism’s various impacts

CHAMPION The town of General Luna bags the grand prize in the float contest in “Niyogyugan Festival” of Quezon by showcasing the century-old Lenten tradition in the locality through the depiction of ‘centurions’ or Roman foot soldiers in its design. (Photo courtesy of QUEZON PROVINCIAL TOURISM OFFICE)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism (DOT) recommended the endorsement of a statistical framework that measures the impact and dependency of tourism on each country’s economy, society, and environment.

The recommendation was made by DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco at the 25th United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on October 18.

According to UNWTO, the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST) is an “organizing structure for integrating statistics on the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainable tourism.”

Frasco, who represented the Philippines as the Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific of UNWTO General Assembly, pushed for the approval of the framework.

“As a concrete manifestation of our support to the UNWTO’s sustainable tourism initiatives, the Philippines, as one of the members of the Committee on Statistics representing the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific, respectfully recommends that the UNWTO General Assembly endorse the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST), establishing a global consensus among the community of nations,” the DOT official said.

The country is one of the countries chosen for the pilot implementation of SF-MST.

Frasco noted the framework will create an everyday basis for nations to measure data relating to the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of tourism.

Aside from Frasco, other officials representing the country were Ambassador to Iran Roberto Manalo, DOT Undersecretary Shahlimar Tamano, OIC-Undersecretary Verna Buensuceso and Assistant Secretary Rica Bueno.

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