Recto urges gov't to tap eco-tourism

Senator Ralph Recto says government should encourage the creation of a corps of grassroots eco-tourism entrepreneurs which can create jobs the fastest with the least damage to the environment.

Recto urged government to pour more funds and assistance in the recently-launched Grassroots Entrepreneurs for Eco-Tourism or GREET program under the auspices of the Trade and Tourism departments.

The countrys various sand, sea and sun spots are tourist-ready, Recto said. Their natural state, like the beaches of Boracay, is a great allure by itself. No major make-over is needed to underscore their beauty.

Capitalizing on eco-tourism, he said, would allow the domestic tourism to catch a portion of the growing global market for people who opt for low-impact tourism, those who would like to commune with nature in its pristine state.

The eco-tourism route can reel in tourists without having the need to build big hotels, which need big investments and longer construction schedule, he said.

Eco-tourism, he added, would also be a crash approach in creating jobs, especially in rural areas unattractive to manufacturing.

He noted that statistics indicate that each tourist could potentially generate one job, meaning to say there is one-to-one correspondence between the two.

The cost of investment to create one job is lower in tourism than in manufacturing. In heavy industries, you need twenty million pesos to create one job. If that amount is spent on tourism, it can already employ one whole village, he stressed.

While Recto lauded the Department of Tourism (DOT) for its efforts in promoting tourism, he said allocating more funds are needed to develop potential tourist destinations and preserve existing ones.

This year, the DOT is planning to spend P552 million for promotions alone. . However, Recto underscored the need to develop eco-tourism properly to protect and preserve the environment.

According to Recto, the government can generate enough jobs to employ the new additions to the country's workforce every year by maximizing the income potential in tourism.

Citing Department of Tourism (DOT) data, the Philippines had 2.8 million visitors in 2006.

Most of these tourists come from Korea , United States , Japan , and China .

An average foreign tourist spends about $1,100 per visit.

The amount, he said, can support two average-size Filipino families for one full month.

"If we can increase the number of visitors from 2.8 million last year to 5 million this year, then the problem of 10 million families, at least will be solved. If we can institutionalize tourism-related jobs, then a big part of our unemployment problem is solved," he said.