A PHILIPPINE senator on Thursday cited the need for more medical facilities and police forces in the country’s tourist spots to develop the sector, complementing efforts to pass a tax refund system for tourists.
“In attracting tourists, there’s no single formula,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian told a forum at the Senate.
“Tourist police in tourist areas, especially in our dive sites, putting up medical facilities, are needed so that the tourists would have confidence going to our beaches.”
Senators have started floor debates on Senate Bill No. 2415, which aims to provide non-resident tourists value-added tax refunds for purchases worth at least P3,000 to encourage more visitor spending.
Under the bill, the Secretary of Finance upon the recommendation of the Internal Revenue commissioner and the Tourism secretary, is authorized to adjust the P3,000 threshold based on inflation, administrative costs, and other market conditions.
The House of Representatives approved its version of the measure on third and final reading on March 6, 2023.
The Department of Tourism (DoT) is targeting 7.7 million international tourist arrivals this year. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
