DOT and DOST sign agreements to boost tourism through smart technology and promote the Philippines as a Muslim-friendly destination.
The Philippines‘ Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have formalized two new convergence initiatives to boost the country’s tourism industry through science-based innovations.
On Wednesday (Aug. 28), Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and DOST Secretary Dr. Renato Solidum, Jr. led the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote the Smart and Sustainable Communities Program (SSCP) at Casa Manila in Intramuros.
The SSCP is a people-centric and technology-driven strategy to facilitate the development or transformation of communities to become smart, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive considering the uniqueness, readiness, and growth potential of the community.
Under the program, both agencies have agreed to work together toward knowledge creation and development of smart and sustainable technologies; delivery of transformative S&T products and services; capability building to support smart and sustainable development; promotion of smart and sustainable technologies, services, and practices for adoption of communities; and policy advocacy and formulation for impact and sustainability.
A separate Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was also signed by the heads of the two agencies to pledge a commitment to the development and deployment of the TourLISTA 2.0 app. Called the Tourism Live-Inventory and Statistics of Tourist Arrivals, TourLISTA is a web-based tool for analyzing and assessing tourist arrivals, offering real-time updates, advanced data visualization tools, and comprehensive inventory and statistics to empower tourism stakeholders.
The DOST-MIMAROPA developed the TourLISTA App which was subsequently utilized by the DOT-MIMAROPA as the pilot region for its implementation. The MOA then formalizes the DOT and DOST collaboration on the enhancement and deployment of a web-based and mobile application that will serve as a pivotal tool to facilitate the collection of regional statistics all over the Philippines.
“As we celebrate this landmark collaboration between the DOT and the DOST, we manifest our joint commitment to innovation in the democratization of tourism. The introduction of technology is no longer just an option, but rather an absolute necessity,” Secretary Frasco said in her speech during the program.
“Innovation has driven our programs in the Department of Tourism for the architect of our vision for tourism has called for the same — our President envisions tourism not only from the lens of recovery but rather of transformation; one that will see the Philippines elevate into a tourism powerhouse upon the strength of its culture, heritage, and identity,” the Secretary stressed.
The tourism chief also relayed her gratitude to Secretary Solidum for continuously supporting the tourism industry as a champion of S&T innovations in the country. Secretary Solidum said that the occasion symbolizes the government’s commitment toward sustainability.
“Ang ating pagdiriwang ngayon ay sumasalamin hindi lamang sa agham at teknolohiya kundi ang paggamit nito sa larangan ng tela, paghahabi at sustainability. Nagagalak akong ibahagi sainyo ang aking mga saloobin patungkol sa siyensya, sa bawat agrikulturang habi at bakit ang ating kulturang habi ay nararapat na ibahagi at ipamana,” the DOST chief began his remarks.
“Filipinos are naturally creative. Our woven crafts are unique in the world because they showcase our artistry or creativity. Most of these woven products are inspired by the experiences and beliefs of our ancestors and indigenous cultural groups, as mentioned earlier by Secretary Frasco, highlighting that the inspiration behind each masterpiece comes from personal beliefs, values, and traditions that are continuously passed down to the current generation,” Secretary Solidum said in Filipino.
“We are pleased with our partnership, Secretary Frasco, because you will now be our partner in our advocacy to lead Filipinos toward a better quality of life, sufficient income, and the ability to sustain the environment for the benefit of our generation and future generations,” he concluded.
Promoting PH as a Muslim-friendly destination
To make tourism more inclusive and expand the Halal tourism offerings of the country, Secretary Frasco also accepted the Halal modules developed by the DOST in an official turnover ceremony on Wednesday as part of the Pamana Agham occasion.
Making the Philippines Muslim-friendly, where Halal is one of the key components, is among the current thrusts of the DOT to diversify its tourism products based on the approved National Tourism Development Plan for 2023-2028.
Secretary Solidum personally handed over the copies to Secretary Frasco.
In her speech, the tourism chief emphasized how important this tourism component is to the country since the Philippines has been recognized as a back-to-back winner as an Emerging Muslim-Friendly Destination (Non-OIC country) at the Halal in Travel Awards in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
“Halal tourism is also one of the priority programs of the Marcos administration. With the Department of Tourism’s drive towards ensuring that the Philippines is a Muslim-friendly and Halal-friendly destination, we have released a revised Memorandum Circular on the Accreditation of Muslim-friendly establishments. And with the introduction of this training module developed by the DOST, we see great benefit upon our accommodation enterprises and other tourism enterprises so that we can transform the Philippines into one of the most competitive Halal and Muslim-friendly destinations,” she said.
On the whole, the Secretary noted how important science-backed training is to the tourism industry, especially in the upskilling of tourism frontliners.
“Through our partnership with the DOST, we will leverage Science, Technology, and innovation to enhance the Philippine tourism experience; as we move forward, we do so with unbridled optimism knowing that our shared passion for tourism and our commitment to building a brighter and sustainable future can only redound to the benefit of our fellow Filipinos,” she said.
George is the News Feed Manager, Content Creator, and Social Media Manager at the TravelDailyNews network of online newspapers. At the same time, he is completing his studies in the Department of Business Administration at the Athens University of Economics and Business.
