Philippine Department of Tourism prioritises disaster-hit tourism workers

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The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) announced that tourism workers in areas hit by natural and man-made calamities are now given priority in terms of government financial aid.

The announcement was made on Thursday, 23rd January, as the DOT formalised a partnership with the country’s Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD.)

The memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the partnership, titled with the vernacular translation of Cooperating for a Future with Hope in Tourism, was originally conceptualised as a response to the catastrophic Oriental Mindoro oil spill in 2023, a crisis that affected over a thousand tourism workers after oil slicks reached several coastal destinations in the province.

Based on the terms of the partnership, the DOT will host alternative livelihood training programmes to emergency- or disaster-hit tourism front-liners. 

The DSWD, on the other hand, will include affected tourism workers among those on the priority list for cash transfers, cash for work, and training for cash initiatives.

A necessary partnership

Tourism secretary Christina Frasco said: “The partnership between the DOT and the DSWD under this mechanism will be activated in the wake of calamities and disaster. We do not wish for any more disasters to befall the country but should it happen, the DOT and the DSWD partnership will be there to help our tourism workers.

For his part, social welfare secretary Rex Gatchalian said the classification was made as most of these tourism workers, especially those working in far-flung areas, are themselves part of the marginalised sector.

Gatchalian said: “We have numerous tourist destinations located within small municipalities that are usually hit hard in the event of a natural disaster. Our mandate at the DSWD is to aid the poor and the marginalised; so why are tourism workers considered a priority sector? Given the trillions earned by the tourism sector for the economy, it is vital that we take care of the most important part of the industry: our tourism and hospitality workers.”

The livelihood programmes offered by the DOT include handicraft training, homestay operations and management, a backgrounder in farm tourism, as well as training in traditional massage and culinary traditions.

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