Amcham supports DoT chief

Foreign businessmen have joined tourism industry leaders in expressing support for Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim.

“AmCham is particularly pleased with the adoption of Open Skies and other policy reforms recommended in ‘Arangkada 2011 Philippines, a Business Perspective’ in the interest of developing tourism in the Philippines,” Austen Chamberlain, president of the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) said in a statement.

The Arangkada Report is a project of the Joint Foreign Chambers of which Amcham is one of the members.

The open skies and policy reforms which are contained in the report seek to improve international connectivity, to develop and implement national and destination master plans, and to reduce costs of doing business and enhance mobility for travel and tourism enterprises and tourists.

These policy reforms are part of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) which is set to be presented to President Aquino by end-July.

In a letter to Lim, Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata)—Philippine Chapter chairman David R. Stone said, “I am sure I speak for most, if not all, Pata Philippine Chapter members when I say that we are aghast at the rumors, allegedly attributed to Malacañang sources, and enhanced by certain operatives aimed at you!”

Stone said Pata condemns in the strongest possible terms, and expresses disdain for this scurrilous attempt to unseat Lim. “For the record we cannot believe for a moment that the President has any such intentions,” he said.