Department of Tourism-National Capital Region (DOT-NCR) Assistant Regional Director Catherine Agustin joins the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on Tuesday, March 4, to share the tourism development in Metro Manila. (Photo by: PIA-NCR)
QUEZON CITY, (PIA) — Metro Manila currently employs 2.8 million Filipinos in tourism-related jobs, securing the second-highest tourism worker share in the country, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).
The capital region’s tourism workforce is part of the 16.4 million Filipinos employed in the tourism sector nationwide, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s April 2024 Labor Force Survey.
At a Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas media forum on Tuesday, March 4, DOT-National Capital Region Assistant Regional Director Catherine Agustin highlighted these figures while emphasizing ongoing efforts to create more tourism jobs and enhance travel experiences for both domestic and international visitors.
“The Department of Tourism remains steadfast in its mission to generate quality employment opportunities for Filipinos across the country. As we continue to strengthen the country’s tourism industry, the DOT is committed to creating even more opportunities for Filipinos in the years to come,” said Agustin.
The tourism workers are split between direct tourism positions — frontline roles like hotel receptionists, tour guides, and airline staff — and indirect tourism jobs that support the industry, including souvenir shop owners and construction workers for tourism infrastructure.
CALABARZON (Region IV-A) leads the country with 2.92 million tourism workers, while Region III ranks third with 2.49 million.
The DOT continues to improve service quality through its Filipino Brand of Service Excellence program, which has trained 269,704 tourism workers in customer service, engagement strategies, and complaint management.
The DOT-NCR, for its part, highlighted ongoing efforts to partner with tourism stakeholders and provide them with necessary training to meet the demands of the travelers and further improve the quality of services in various tourism sectors.
Other tourism achievements include a significant increase in international visitor receipts, generating an estimated P760 billion from nearly 6 million international arrivals in 2024 — representing a 126% recovery from pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
The average stay duration for tourists has increased to over 11 nights in 2024, compared to 9 nights in 2019. In Metro Manila, the top five (5) local government units (LGUs) based on overnight arrivals include Quezon City, Makati City, Manila, Muntinlupa City, and Pasay City.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the Philippines boasts the largest domestic tourism market in Southeast Asia, valued at approximately $66.2 billion in 2024 from the previous $52.1 billion in 2023.
DOT-NCR officials also announced plans to extend “Hop-on Hop-off” bus tours to more culturally significant destinations across Metro Manila, expanding beyond the current routes in Manila, Makati, and Pasay-Parañaque. (JMP/PIA-NCR)
