Sustainable tourism supported by Pinoys

Many Filipinos believe that sustainable tourism is important and must be advocated in the coming years.

Liz Ortiguera, a Filipino-American businesswoman and travel industry leader, spoke at the recent 2023 TravMedia Summit Asia in Singapore, said the Travel and Tourism (T&T) sector will grow globally in the next decade.

She was tapped for her 25 years of experience in the travel and tourism sector.

Ortiguera was the female and only second Asian chief executive officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association and is the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) managing director for Asia-Pacific (APAC).

Personal projects like disaster relief work for Typhoon Yolanda and the Village Fund & Build post-Yolanda enlightened Ortiguera to push for sustainable tourism.

She used data from WTTC’s Economic Impact Report for APAC 2023.

Data from the Economist Impact shows that 98% of people in the Philippines believe sustainable tourism is important — the highest tally in APAC — while 80% believe in the importance of creating a positive impact for the local population.

Ortiguera said that from these data, the future of T&T includes the expansion of Asian influence on global travel, redefining modern luxury, personal carbon footprint tracking and improved wellness in travel as a result of high-tech amenities and science-based experiences.

She predicted that there might now be more government insight into travel, which could involve the implementation of quotas, fees, bans and policies that will drive local spending.

She explained that post-pandemic Asian governments were initially trying to bring back up the volume of travellers, but now they are shifting their focus to sustainability and destination management.

“Asian destinations are nowhere near the Top 20 sustainable destinations,” Ortiguera said.

Ortiguera also shared T&T trends to advocate for in the future, highlighted by sustainability that “goes beyond the superficial.”

Some examples she gave that would support such a movement are sustainable design practices, job creation, women in leadership and inclusivity, the previously mentioned destination management, and human capital development that celebrates Asian excellence in service.

There will also be a shift to sustainable gastronomy — serving and sourcing local, celebrating heritage and educating customers on sustainable options.

Another trend she focused on was immersive authentic travel that is “truly” creative experiences rather than typical tours one would see and post on Instagram.

These experiences should be community- or heritage-based, she said. Ortiguera also noted a possible drive for spiritual and religious tourism, and reiterated initiatives for eating, touring and spending locally to ensure a sense of place in hospitality.

Other trends were blended travel (local experiences for corporate travel, long-stay accommodation investment and design), nature-based or soft adventure travel (creating accessible experiences and alternative accommodation options), and celebrating service excellence and creating social impact.