DOT Press Statement

In the mid-morning of Monday, 23 August 2010, a dismissed police officer seized a busload of Hong Kong tourists in Ermita, City of Manila to demand his reinstatement in the force, among others.

During the early negotiations, nine passengers were released, seven of the 22 Hong Kong nationals and two of the Filipino bus crew. The Department of Tourism took charge of them and had a Help Desk set up at the Manila Pavilion Hotel to monitor their needs.

Meanwhile, towards nightfall, tension escalated and what could have been managed peacefully, ended in bloodshed.

It was reported that out of the fifteen hostages, five were unharmed and two in serious condition. There were nine casualties including the hostage-taker.

The Department extends its deep and sincere sympathies to the families of the victims. Together with the other agencies of government, it has mobilized resources to oversee the comfort and safe return of the surviving hostages and will provide everything needed to minimize the blow of this painful experience.

Feature Preview 7/19/2010 Helen Flores, The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines – No stranger to the tourism industry, Secretary Alberto Lim vows to provide more tourism-driven jobs in the countryside to contribute to the government’s efforts to eradicate poverty.

The new Department of Tourism chief said he accepted President Aquino’s offer to head the DOT to help the new administration accomplish its promise of reducing corruption and poverty.

“At MBC (Makati Business Club), I was an advocate versus corruption so my experience can help. Tourism is an industry that creates jobs especially in the countryside where many of the poor reside,” Lim told The STAR.

Lim was a former executive director of the MBC, an association of top business executives.

“Aside from direct jobs, tourism’s multiplier effects create much bigger impact on the economy,” he said.

Lim, fondly called “Bertie” by friends and colleagues, said the DOT under his leadership would work on the new branding of the Philippines as a country of warm and genial people.

He also cited the need to double efforts to highlight cultural tourism just as much as Philippine beaches are promoted.

“Similarly, we have to hone professional guides,” Lim said.

“When I visited Vietnam recently, a very well-trained guide kept me engaged for two hours while he was explaining the details of a bell. You see, if we have better products and good service, people will come,” the 60-year-old Lim said.

He also plans to double the country’s tourism revenues in six years by attracting high-paying tourists instead of following the mass-market route taken by some of its Southeast Asian neighbors.

“Unbridled tourism is also bad because the environment suffers. So we are very careful about the type of tourism we want. The people who come for culture, history and nature, maybe we can receive them,” he said.

In its 2009 Industry Report, the DOT said total tourist traffic in the country’s top 14 destinations in 2009 reached 8.9 million or 14 percent higher than in 2008.

Last year, the DOT has endorsed 28 new tourism projects worth P36.3 billion with estimated employment capacity of 15,567 once operational, the report said.

Lim said he would streamline the agency’s operations by cost cutting and removing special teams in charge of growing markets.

The DOT chief said much of the agency’s budget would be spent on product development instead of marketing and promotion.

“We need to develop first-rate products and come up with impeccable services to draw more tourists. We have to be more visible by generating very good projects and we should deliver what we promised,” Lim said. He said instead of sending special teams, tourism attachés could promote tourism in the country.

“There are better ways of doing the selling, no need to send teams,” Lim said. “Why send people from Manila when there are already people who are doing that?”

Lim is not new to the tourism industry.

He founded the Palawan Tourism Council, which is responsible for Palawan’s rise as a veritable tourist destination.

He was the former president of Ten Knots Development Corp., owners and managers of El Nido resorts, before he became executive director of the MBC in 2006.

Lim also served as board member of the Civil Aeronautics Board. He co-founded the Freedom to Fly Coalition, which advocated an open-skies policy as a strategy to promote economic development.

Lim was born on Aug. 16, 1949 in Manila. His parents are Luis Hidalgo Lim and Estefania Julian Aldaba.

His father, an engineer, died in a plane accident on March 1, 1962 in Lianga Bay, Surigao del Sur. His mother, a psychologist, died of natural causes on March 7, 2006.

He is married to Carla Campos Abreu, a housewife. They have three children namely Lorenzo, 34; Laszlo, 31 and Liana, 23.

He is the younger brother of veteran broadcast journalist Cheche Lazaro (Cecilia Lim Lazaro).

Lim said he enjoys reading and playing the guitar. He is also an avid tennis player.

Lim has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Ateneo de Manila University. He has also a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School and another master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government.

PRESS RELEASE
19 July 2010

Contact: Office of Tourism Information, Tel. Nos. 525-1805 / 536-0496 Telefax: 525-6538, e-mail: oti@tourism.gov.ph

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Feature News 7/12/2010 Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines is aiming to double tourism revenues in six years while avoiding the mass-market route taken by some of its Southeast Asian neighbors, the country’s new tourism secretary told AFP.

The archipelago of more than 7,000 islands boasts some of the world’s most beautiful white-sand beaches but annual tourist revenues are a paltry $2.25 billion, Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said in an interview.

“We want double that, at least,” said Lim, a former high-end resort developer who was appointed to President Aquino’s Cabinet on June 30.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand estimates the country will earn 430 billion baht ($13 billion) from tourism in 2010, but Lim said, “I’m not sure whether I would like to emulate the Thai model.

Revenues

“I would like to go for quality tourism and just make up for the lack of (tourist) numbers in revenues,” he said.

“Unbridled tourism is also bad because the environment suffers. So we are very careful about the type of tourism we want. The people who come for culture, history and nature, maybe we can receive them.”

While insisting that backpackers were still welcome, Lim noted that they did not spend a lot, adding that “they leave waste.”

The timeframe for doubling revenues is the six-year term of Aquino’s presidency.

Just over three million tourists visited the country last year, down 3.9 percent from 2008 as tourism worldwide retreated amid the global financial crisis.

Thai contrast

By contrast, tourist arrivals in Thailand, the industry leader in Southeast Asia, fell only 2.68 percent to 14.15 million last year, according to Thai government data.

Lim said the Philippine tourism industry had terrific potential, despite large areas of the south remaining off-limits to foreigners because of terror groups’ penchant for kidnapping.

He insisted the Philippines had fine-white beach sand superior to anything its neighbors could offer.

“The beaches in the Philippines are better than in Indonesia or Thailand,” he said.

New strategies

There were, however, many areas that needed to be improved to lure the high-paying tourists.

Improving air access and customer service, educating rude and at times dishonest taxi drivers, building good link roads and developing niche markets were some of the new government’s strategies, according to Lim.

“We’ll make them (tourists) stay longer, enjoy the Philippines, and to do this we will have to improve the product that we offer,” he said.

Lim’s first priority is to open up Philippine skies further.

Access

He pointed out that there were three times as many flights between Japan and Thailand as between Japan and the Philippines.

“Access creates investments, investments create hotel facilities and that will also lower prices,” he said.

While government spending for the tourism sector rose during the past nine years of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration, Lim said the money was not targeted well and often rewarded supporters of the government.

“A problem of the past administration was the president, to keep herself in power, had to spread the budget thinly over different areas,” he said, citing instances where airports were built where they were not needed.

English-speaking

Lim singled out nature tourism as one niche sector that, aside from scuba diving, had not fulfilled its potential.

Lim also said that the Philippines should maximize its potential of being an English-speaking nation.

He said the Philippines should be able to attract more medical tourists who would feel comfortable with English-speaking doctors and nurses.

“They (Thailand) may offer better medical service, but people are anxious, right? They want to know what’s happening to them.”

Lim said that, while Filipino tour guides may speak English, they required more training and taxi drivers needed to improve their manners.

“Taxi drivers can speak English but there has to be some courtesy.”

Deteriorating

Few visitors also get to experience the country’s rich cultural heritage since there are not that many museums to put artifacts on display, he said.

“We have so many beautiful artifacts that are sitting in warehouses. It’s really almost criminal that they go to waste, and they are deteriorating. We should get museums in the old style, operating in the old city,” he said.

Attractions like the white-sand beach of Boracay island, meanwhile, are suffering from overdevelopment, and the 3,000-year-old rice terraces carved from the mountainsides of Banaue in the north are crumbling, he said.

PRESS RELEASE
12 July 2010

Contact: Office of Tourism Information, Tel. Nos. 525-1805 / 536-0496 Telefax: 525-6538, e-mail: oti@tourism.gov.ph

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Feature News 7/12/2010 Helen Flores, The Philippine Star

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim will streamline the Department of Tourism’s operations by cost-cutting and removing special teams in charge of growing markets.

Lim, a former high-end resort developer, said much of the agency’s budget would be spent on product development instead of marketing and promotion.

“We need to develop first-rate products and come up with impeccable services to draw more tourists. We have to be more visible by generating very good projects and we should deliver what we promised,” Lim said.

He said instead of sending special teams, tourism attachés could promote tourism in the country.

“There are better ways of doing the selling, no need to send teams,” Lim said. “Why send people from Manila when there are already people who are doing that?”

Lim plans to double the country’s tourism revenues in six years by attracting high-paying tourists instead of following the mass-market route taken by some of its Southeast Asian neighbors.

“Unbridled tourism is also bad because the environment suffers. So we are very careful about the type of tourism we want. The people who come for culture, history and nature, maybe we can receive them,” he said.

The white sand beaches of Boracay, for instance, are suffering from over-development. The 3,000 year-old rice terraces carved from the mountainsides of Banaue town in Ifugao are crumbling.

The Philippines has some of the world’s most beautiful white sand beaches but annual tourist revenues are a paltry $2.25 billion.

“The beaches in the Philippines are better than Indonesia or Thailand,” Lim said.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand estimates that its country would earn $13 billion from tourism this year.

“I’m not sure whether I would like to emulate the Thai model,” Lim said. “I would like to go for quality tourism and just make up for the lack of (tourist) numbers in revenues.”

Just over three million tourists visited the country last year, down 3.9 percent from 2008 as tourism worldwide retreated because of the global financial crisis.

By contrast, tourist arrivals in Thailand, the industry leader in Southeast Asia, fell only 2.68 percent to 14.15 million last year.

Lim said the Philippine tourism industry has great potential despite the peace and order situation in Mindanao, where insurgents had abducted many foreign tourists.

However, there are many areas that need to be improved to lure high-paying tourists into the country.

Aside from tourism attractions, other areas of improvement are air access, customer service, and link roads.

Niche markets, said Lim, should also be developed. Nature tourism, however, was one niche sector in the country that did not develop its full potential.

Lim’s first priority is to open up Philippine skies further. He pointed out that there were three times as many flights between Japan and Thailand as between Japan and the Philippines.

“Access creates investments, investments create hotel facilities and that will also lower prices,” Lim said.

Government spending for the tourism sector rose during the nine-year Arroyo administration but Lim said the money was not well spent.

“A problem of the past administration was the president, to keep herself in power, had to spread the budget thinly over different areas,” he said, citing instances where airports were built where they were not needed. Lim said the Philippines should be able to attract more medical tourists who feel comfortable with English- speaking doctors and nurses.

“They (Thailand) may offer better medical service, but people are anxious, right? They want to know what’s happening to them,” he said.

Lim also said museums should be renovated and more artifacts should be displayed.

“We have so many beautiful artifacts that are sitting in warehouses. It’s really almost criminal that they go to waste, and they are deteriorating. We should get museums in the old style, operating in the old city,” he said.

PRESS RELEASE
12 July 2010

Contact: Office of Tourism Information, Tel. Nos. 525-1805 / 536-0496 Telefax: 525-6538, e-mail: oti@tourism.gov.ph

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The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) expressed optimism on the full development of the country as a premiere global tourism destination, following President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's appointment of Alberto Lim as Secretary of the Department of Tourism.

An attached agency of the DOT created by the Tourism Act of 2009 or Republic Act 9593 which declares a national policy for tourism to be one of the country's engines of investment, employment, economic growth and national development, the TPB is in charge of developing and implementing a marketing plan to promote the Philippines as a tourist destination for the local and international market.

According to Cynthia Carrion, who was elected Chief Operating Officer of TPB by the ten-member Board of the TPB for a fixed six-year term, "The TPB is ready to contribute to the growth of the Philippine tourism, recognizing its vital role as a key driver to our country's economy. We have already paved the way for the DOT and TPB to work hand in hand with each other to achieve the administration's vision of a more robust tourism industry."

As part of the initial steps taken by TPB and as mandated by the Tourism Act, the smooth and efficient transition of Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation (PCVC) to TPB was administered by a Transition Task Force that was created by DOT within the PCVC.

With the help of consultants and experts in government operations, a new organizational structure was passed by the TPB Board Members and approved by the Department of Budget and Management, which legitimizes its operations. This ensured that over 100 PCVC organic personnel were accommodated in the temporary staffing pattern in compliance with the Tourism Act.

Given a more expansive role than what the PCVC used to do, the TPB created three main departments: Promotions, Marketing Communications & Corporate Relations, and Corporate Affairs.

"We recognize the importance of re-structuring the agency and properly putting it into place before our campaigns for tourism promotions get off the ground. Planning is central to the success of our campaigns, and we really can not underestimate its value," said Carrion.

In accordance with the Tourism Act, DOT's market team heads have turned over their marketing programs to PCVC's transition team for implementation for the rest of the year. The Act also mandated that the Bureaus of Domestic and International Tourism Promotions, and the Office of Tourism Information of DOT will be absorbed by TPB.

TPB's new structure is similar to other countries' model, with the TPB functioning as the official tourism agency in charge of promotion and marketing, akin to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Singapore Tourism Board, and most recently, the Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) in the US. The CTP was established by the Travel Promotion Act, signed into law by US President Barack Obama only last March 4, 2010, and is tasked to develop a multi-channel marketing and communications program to attract more tourists.

Marketing plans for 2011 and the next six years are now being drafted by TPB in consultation with DOT's Planning Department that will ensure alignment with the country's Tourism Master Plan.

MEDIA RELEASE
08 July 2010

TPB Media Desk, Tel Nos. 525.9318 to 27 / 0908.2127155

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Feature News 7/6/2010 MJKRC, Business World

More focused funding for products and infrastructure, as well as better service delivery and marketing are the general thrusts to be adopted by the newly appointed Tourism chief.

In a party held yesterday by tourism stakeholders, Secretary Alberto A. Lim told reporters he wanted to redirect more funds to product development, identify and address key infrastructure gaps, raise the standards of tourism workers, and maximize tourism attachés abroad. "We are 10 yards behind the starting line because...there's really a lot to do and a lot to fix," Mr. Lim said.

Primary on his list is product development, particularly of travel destinations. "If you have a bad product, no amount of promotion will make it sell well. But if you have a good one, by means of word of mouth, you will be able to sell the product," he said.

Noting that state funds are spread thinly, he said he has been coordinating with the departments of Public Works and Highways and of Transportation and Communications "to identify priority infrastructure in key areas."

PRESS RELEASE
06 July 2010

Contact: Office of Tourism Information, Tel. Nos. 525-1805 / 536-0496 Telefax: 525-6538, e-mail: oti@tourism.gov.ph

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Feature News 6/30/2010 Czarina Nicole O. Ong, Manila Bulletin

Makati Business Club (MBC) Director Alberto Lim joins Wednesday President Aquino’s new government as Secretary of the Department of Tourism (DoT).

“I am very honored to be invited to join his (Aquino’s) Cabinet. In spite of the daunting challenges, I agreed to serve because of what Presidentelect Aquino stands for,” Lim said.

The business leader said that while he has always considered the late former President Corazon “Cory” C. Aquino and the martyred Senator Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino Jr. as heroes of democracy, it was only last year that he was acquainted with their son, Noynoy.

“I only became acquainted with the President-elect during the campaign when I was invited to join the policy committee to help craft a platform of government,” he said, recalling that it was Noynoy’s eldest sister Balsy (Maria Elena Aquino-Cruz) whom he first met.

Lim said the Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer at that time made such an impression on him that he wished to help Noynoy’s cause against corruption.

“The DoT is not a frontline agency in the fight against corruption. It has a very small budget. Nevertheless, we will observe all good governance practices and make all transactions transparent. Anyone who intends to milk the agency will not find his efforts worthwhile,” Lim said.

His experience with tourism stems from to his part-time involvement in the past with several boards involved in tourism. He co-founded the Freedom to Fly Coalition, which advocated an open-skies policy as a strategy to promote economic development.

Moreover, he also became a member of the Civil Aeronautics Board.

“The position offered (DoT Secretary) presents a unique opportunity to develop tourism as a major engine for growth, providing jobs in the countryside, and helping reduce poverty,” Lim said.

He said he has already resigned as MBC president but plans to tap the influential business group for nation-building.

“I will invite MBC to be active together with other business groups and non-government organizations in making government much more accountable to the Filipino people than it has been in the current administration,” Lim said.

It was also Lim who founded the Palawan Tourism Council, which is responsible for Palawan’s rise as a veritable tourist destination.

He also founded the El Nido Foundation, which was responsible for the El Nido Protected Area Management Board that helps people in communities improve their way of living.

He also spearheaded the Corporate Network for Disaster Response after Indonesia’s 7.2 earthquake in 1990 sent tsunamis to surrounding islands.

PRESS RELEASE
30 June 2010

Contact: Office of Tourism Information, Tel. Nos. 525-1805 / 536-0496 Telefax: 525-6538, e-mail: oti@tourism.gov.ph

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