Implementation of the Philippine National Tourism Development Plan THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PLAN Institutional Arrangements Between DOT Regional Offices and LGUs for Destination Planning, Regulation, and Monitoring and Evaluation By Ludwig Rieder, Tourism Advisor, Asia Foundation, 28 May

Implementation of the Philippine National Tourism Development Plan NTDP Implementation Approach Partnership-based approach to implementation that depends on having: – A shared vision for the development of the tourim sector – An effective prioritized destination and framework and product portfolio to guide public and private investment – Convergence in priorities and investment of DOT Attached Agencies, NGAs, LGUs, and the private sector The DOT’s mission is to enable and coordinate this partnership approach This means that the NTDP elements will need to be institutionalized within the DOT work program as mandated by RA 9593 and its IRR, specifically: – Planning – Coordination; and – Actual implementation (marketing, product development, regulation of standards, capacity building, ….) Tasks such as access and destination/site infrastructure, air services, etc. will also need to be institutionalized into the work programs of concerned organizations 2

Implementation of the Philippine National Tourism Development Plan 3 Proposed Philippine Tourism Governnance & Management Framework National Level Regional Level Local Level Tourism Advisory and Consultative Bodies (National Tourism Coordination Council-Tourism Congress) Regional Tourism Councils/ Congresses (DOT-Tourism Congress-Civil Society) Regional Tourism Councils/ Congresses (DOT-Tourism Congress-Civil Society) Provincial Tourism Councils ( DOT-Tourism Congress-Civil Society) Provincial Tourism Councils ( DOT-Tourism Congress-Civil Society) Local Tourism Councils and Action Groups Department of Tourism Tourism Promotion Board TIEZA + Other AAs Regional Tourism Offices Provincial Level Tourism Service Centers City and Municipality Tourism Units and Private Sector Strategic levelTactical Level

Implementation of the Philippine National Tourism Development Plan NTDP Implementation Process 4 Coordination of planning, infrastructure and product development initiatives in TDAs of their clusters Inputs to development plans at RDC and LGU level Capacity building and technical assistance to LGUs Accreditation and certification of tourism enterprise standards Introduction and operation of LGU-based tourism statistical system Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting Development planning: - NTDP (5-year and annual infrastructure plan) - Cluster plans - local area plans (TDA level) Sourcing grants/loans Monitoring, evaluation and reporting Overall supervision Under RA9593: Overall coordination Communications plan for NTDP NTCC Secretariat TIEZA to focus on: TIEZ development based on sun and beach, leisure & entertainment, MICE, and cruise and nautical tourism products Tourism infrastructure development at heritage sites Consider expanding other attached agency mandates to include product development leadership for: Nature tourism (NPDC) Culture tourism (IA & NPF) Health, wellness and retirement tourism (PRA) Diving and marine sports (PCSSD) Legend OTDPRIM: Office of Tourism Development, Planning Research and Informatio Management OTC: Office of Tourism Coordination TRCRG: Tourism Regulation, Coordination, and Resource Generation TD: Tourism Development 16 Regional Development Councils LGUs + Legislators LGUs + Legislators NGAs - National & Regional Level Local Private Sector Local NGOs, and Academe National Tourism Coordinating Council TRCRG Sector OTC OTDPRIM TD Sector NGO, Academe Tourism Congress/Touri st Associations Government Bureaus, Offices 16 DOT Regional Offices DOT Offices (Central) DOT Attached Agencies National Level

Implementation of the Philippine National Tourism Development Plan DOT NTDP Implementation Governance Approach Full time coordination and supervision of implementation will be necessary at the national, regional, and local level Overall implementation should be coordinated through: The National Tourism Coordinating Council The Tourism Congress to provide policy, product and destination development and marketing support A dedicated DOT NTDP Coordinating and Monitoring Group (NTDP-CMG) should be established and headed by a USEC. Section 15 of IRR for RA 0593 identifies Office of Tourism Coordination, under the TRCRG Sector as the responsible unit in DOT, but consideration could be given to placing this unit under the Office of Tourism Developmnt, Planning Research and Information Management (OTDPTIM) as this may be a better fit. 5

Implementation of the Philippine National Tourism Development Plan NTDP Implementation Approach The regional offices will play a crucial role in the development of the cluster destinations and the product portfolios and will need to be prepared to undertake this role Infrastructure programs and projects to be implemented by related agency project management and implementation units coordinated by TIEZA The expertise and resources of the attached agencies can be harnessed to lead the development of the product portfolio An appropriate implementation organization structure will need to be developed 6

Implementation of the Philippine National Tourism Development Plan 7 Assess Assess the current status of programs identified in the plan Where are the gaps? Plan Develop implementation plan with proposed: Prioritization scheme and timetables Accountable agencies, deliverables, performance measures Documentation for reporting and monitoring Organization, HR, and Budget requirements for Present To Secretary for approval Initial Tasks of Regional Offices Upon implementation of the reorganization, NTDP-CMG should be absorbed into either OTC or OTDPRIM