Marcos commits to further opening PH to foreign tourists

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed to further open the Philippines to international tourists. 

Marcos made the remark during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Caticlan Passenger Terminal Building in Nabas, Aklan. He underscored that the influx of travelers would be a big boost to the local and national economy.

''Tourism right now contributes close to eight percent to our GDP. And that is something that we want to increase and that is why these projects that we have are also very important,'' Marcos said in his speech. 

''We are doing the same things for many regional airports. We  have been talking about the Iloilo. We have made agreements in Bohol, in Siargao, and there will be others more. Ngayon ay pinag-uusapan pa lang. So, I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag because they are still in discussions,'' he added. 

Marcos said the idea is to open up the country, not only through Manila, but also through international flights coming from Europe and other Southeast Asian countries.

''And in this case, maganda — tama ‘yung nabanggit kanina that it is better here because the ferry experience is very important and very much part of the experience of a… I remember coming here as a vacationer. And pagsakay mo sa bangka, ito na, bakasyon na ito. This is where the vacation starts,'' he shared.

Marcos said the administration wants to bring the Philippines to the top of mind of the rest of the world, that this is a place where people can invest and have their vacation.

The two-storey Passenger Terminal Building will have a total floor area of 36,470 square meters with six passenger boarding bridges and 36 individual check-in counters. 

It is projected to accommodate seven million passengers per year, with a simultaneous capacity of 3,000 passengers at any given time.  The target completion date for the project is 2027.

Megawide Construction Corporation (MCC) secured the contract in 2024 to design and build the new Caticlan PTB.—AOL, GMA Integrated News