Press Release
March 12, 2009

Seize opportunities with the imminent enactment of tourism bill - Gordon

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today prodded leaders and stakeholders of tourism industry to seize the big opportunities the Tourism Bill offers them as soon as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signs it into law.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate tourism industry and author of the tourism bill, sounded the call as he met with tourism industry leaders at the Garden House along Roxas Blvd, Pasay City.

"Given its imminent enactment into law, the leaders and stakeholders of tourism industry can have a few moments to celebrate because this is their bill. But they should not celebrate too long as there are much works to be done," he said.

Apart from helping craft the law's Implementing Rules and Regulations, Gordon added that tourism leaders should also start identifying areas for the establishment of Tourism Enterprise Zones (TEZs) all over the country.

"There are much work yet to be done for this law to really succeed in boosting our country's tourism," he added.

According to him, as soon as the President signs the bill into law during the Lenten break, the new law could significantly help in warding off possible effects of the global financial crisis to the country's economy.

Gordon explained that the new tourism law will spur the creation of jobs and open additional channels for the infusion of the much-needed investments in the country's economy.

He said the tourism stakeholders should take full advantage of the bill that would not only give the needed boost to the country's tourism industry but also to the general health of the country's economy.

"If the law is not used to its fullest advantage and does not make people feel an improvement in their lives, nobody will care and it will all be useless," said Gordon as he pointed out there are a lot of enterprise zones all over the country that are empty.

He also urged tourism industry stakeholders to prepare to connect with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the World Tourism Organization (WTO) to promote investments in tourism.

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