NCIP joined the 1st Meeting of the Tourism Coordinating Council (TCC) for 2023

On 20 February 2023, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples represented by Ms. Glenda Alcantara Pua joined the 1st TCC Meeting for 2023 organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) held at the Agoncillo Halls of the Philippine International Convention Center. The discussion focuses on the presentation, approval, and endorsement of the new National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) for the year 2023-2028.

The TCC is a 25-agency body created under R.A. No. 9593 also known as the “Tourism Act of 2009” with the DOT Secretary as the Chairperson, to serve as the coordinating body for national tourism development efforts. Among the members of the TCC are national government agencies and tourism organizations including the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).

During the presentation of the NTDP 2023-2028, Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco says “This National Tourism Development Plan for 2023 to 2028 envisions Transforming the Philippine tourism industry to becoming a tourism powerhouse of Asia, that is anchored in the Filipino identity, on sustainability, resilience, and global competitiveness, and that benefits the Filipino people”. Furthermore, Secretary Frasco mentioned that the DOT is excited to launch the Katutubo-KAPWA Project which lends the assistance of the DOT to the development and marketability of the goods produced by the ICCs/IPs.

5th of the 7 Strategic Goals of the new National Tourism Development Plan 2023-2028 is the Diversification of Portfolio through Multidimensional Tourism where it specifically aims to develop and improve products that deepen the Philippine cultural experience, developing frameworks involving Indigenous Peoples and Cultural Communities, and integrating experiences for built, tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

The new NTDP is congruent with the NCIPs identified 13 Economic Drivers in the Ancestral Domains that are significant contributions to nation building, to wit: (i) Protection and promotion of arts and culture, (ii) Development of Ecotourism destinations and creation of cultural highways, (iii) Improved logistical chain through infrastructures and road networks.

[Photo credits to the Department of Tourism – Philippines]

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