Department of Tourism, Nissan PH work to promote ‘safe trips’

MANILA: Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat underscored the significance of domestic travel to the national economy, describing domestic travelers as the “backbone of the country’s tourism industry.”

Speaking at an online press conference to announce the partnership of the agency with Nissan Philippines, Sec. Romulo-Puyat maintained that “reviving the sector is immensely crucial.” She added, “The DOT is grateful to have partners such as Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI), who can push forward the recovery of an industry that has been critically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

According to the Tourism Secretary, in 2019, local tourists made some 110 million trips, generating P3.4 trillion pesos for the sector. “What’s even more impressive is that our sector contributed 12.7% to the country’s GDP, with 10.8% of this figure attributed to domestic tourism,” she revealed.

DOT has inked memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Nissan Philippines, represented by its president and managing director Atsushi Najima, to work together on the “Safe Trips” campaign.”

The effort hopes to promote safe land travel, with the road trip described by Sec. Romulo-Puyat as “one of the oldest and truly memorable ways to see and explore the beauty of the Philippines. As more people have started to travel locally, we look forward with great optimism that livelihoods and jobs in the tourism sector will soon return.”

Meanwhile, Najima declared that campaign is also about engaging communities in the destinations, and inspiring Filipinos to safely “rediscover the beauty of the Philippines.” Nissan Philippines will leverage its dealership network and social media presence to boost the effort. “Safety is still the priority,” continued the executive.

While being observant and mindful of health protocols set forth by the World Health Organization and the Department of Health, the DOT and Nissan Philippines effort is hoped to spur local tourism.

“By adopting globally standardized health and hygiene protocols, the Philippines recently received the Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council, a timely recognition that travel around the country is safe in spite of the continuing pandemic. Let’s do our best to keep it this way,” added Sec. Romulo-Puyat.  

In a subsequent question-and-answer portion, DOT Assistant Secretary for Branding and Marketing Communications Howard Lance Uyking stressed that while regulations may be different among local government units (LGUs), “minimum health standards (are) not.”

Replying to a question from ZIGWHEELS.PH, DOT Assistant Secretary for Tourism Development Planning Roberto Alabado III said that LGUs interested to be on the list of DOT-approved destinations “have to write the IATF (COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases)” then “the DOT will ensure that health and safety protocols are in place prior to opening.”

The DOT also promised to spotlight locations that are not traditional destinations, and identify local products that the agency can promote in aid of jumpstarting local economies.

Photo from Nissan

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