President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. held separate meetings with Japanese tourism and business leaders in Osaka, Japan to persuade them to collaborate with the Philippines.

The meeting on June 20 was attended by representatives from the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA), Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) Kansai / JTB West Japan Area Representative, Japan Philippines Tourism Council (JPTC), Kansai Regional Division, HIS Co., Ltd., Nippon Travel Agency, Hankyu Travel International Co., Ltd., and Kansai Airports.

Representatives from the Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific were also present, based on the list from the Presidential Communications Office.

In a Facebook post, Marcos said he met with select tourism stakeholders from Japan who have supported the growth and development of Philippine tourism.

“Today I met with Japanese tourism leaders who are helping us welcome more visitors than ever before, with 214 weekly flights connecting Japan and the Philippines,” he said.

“We are working to create more jobs for our people, help more businesses grow, and ensure more communities feel the impact of a strong tourism sector,” Marcos added.

Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said Japan is one of the country’s strongest source markets in terms of inbound travel, having ranked third among the countries with highest visitors to the Philippines.

Frasco said Marcos personally conveyed to Japanese travel stakeholders that Manila is doubling down on its efforts to develop the tourism sector and improve infrastructure, including through the privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“This was received very well by our Japanese stakeholders, especially considering that our data shows that Japanese travelers favor Cebu, Palawan, Boracay, Bohol, and are also very interested in other emerging island destinations across the country,” she said.

Frasco noted that connectivity between Japan and the Philippines have “fully recovered” following the pandemic, when virtually all flights were put to a halt. 

“And so the challenge for us is really to be able to deepen our partnerships with the tourism stakeholders so that the Japanese tourists coming into the country are able to have experiences in the country that will encourage them to stay longer and come back again and again,” she said.

Beyond improving connectivity, Frasco said the Philippines is taking a number of measures to meet the Japanese demand for more experiential travel in the country. 

“We’re grateful that the President has highlighted the Department of Tourism’s Philippine Experience Heritage, Culture, and Arts Caravans, which provides emerging and lesser-known destinations with opportunities to present the highlights of their destinations,” she said.

In a press conference, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos is committed to bringing more opportunities that will create jobs, propel the economy, and provide a better future for every Filipino family.

Castro said Marcos also met with Kanadevia Corporation to discuss the Zero Waste Program for Metro Manila, a major initiative that will improve solid waste management in Metro Manila, provide clean energy, and create thousands of jobs for Filipinos.

She said Marcos also had a meeting with Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, a long-time partner of the Philippines, to discuss the company’s expansion of operations that will benefit thousands of workers in the Visayas and the entire country.

“Sa lahat ng ito, binibigyang-diin ng Pangulo ang kahalagahan ng paghahanda ng bansa sa gitna ng mga kaganapan sa ibang panig ng mundo tulad ng tensiyon sa Middle East upang masigurong may sapat na trabaho at hanapbuhay para sa mga Pilipino (In all of this, the President emphasized the importance of preparing the country amid events in other parts of the world such as tensions in the Middle East to ensure that there are enough jobs and livelihoods for Filipinos),” Castro said.

Marcos, Castro said, would also visit the Philippine Pavilion at the World Expo 2025 to promote the Philippines’ culture, talent, and hard work of Filipinos and encourage more investments that will benefit the country.

Castro said there would be another series of meetings with top officials of the Japanese business firms during his working visit to Osaka.PNA