Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco on Wednesday called for stronger integration of sustainability in national tourism policy, speaking at a forum organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines.

Addressing participants at the 2025 Philippine Sustainability Now Forum, held at Dusit Thani Manila, Frasco said the Department of Tourism (DOT) is committed to making sustainability the foundation of tourism development under the Marcos administration.

“Sustainability should not be a mere preference; it should be a mandate. And it is something that we feel very strongly about in the Department of Tourism,” Frasco said. “So much so that in drafting the National Tourism Development Plan, under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., sustainable tourism development underpins all of our programs.”

Frasco warned that the Philippines, being one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, must prioritize sustainable development, especially in the tourism sector. She said tourism should now be measured not by arrivals alone, but by its value to local communities.

“Especially post-pandemic where travelers are now seeking meaningful and purposeful travel, we must graduate from this concept of simply counting arrivals to measuring the true value of tourism in our destinations, and most importantly what they contribute to the host, the local communities, and community-based tourism organizations in these destinations,” she said.

Frasco said the tourism department is focusing on infrastructure improvements to elevate the country’s global competitiveness. Citing a World Economic Forum index, she noted that the Philippines ranked 76th out of 119 economies in tourism infrastructure in 2021.

“This is something that we viewed with great alarm, considering that the Philippines is highly dependent on air travel, with 99% of our international visitors come in to the country by way of connectivity through airlines,” she said.

Frasco welcomed the recent privatization of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, crediting Marcos for promoting public-private partnerships.

She also outlined ongoing efforts with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), including projects addressing waste and flood management and the rehabilitation of storm surge protection.