ADB supports Philippines's sustainable tourism development project

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Wednesday that it is working with the Philippine government to design a tourism development project to ensure a sustainable environment for two fast-growing destinations in Palawan province known for their pristine natural beauty and diverse marine life.

In conjunction with the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), the Manila-based ADB said it has identified El Nido and Coron as two localities requiring investments in environmentally sustainable urban facilities and marine environment protection in anticipation of higher numbers of tourists visiting the islands over the next decade.

El Nido is a postcard-pretty town surrounded by steep, dramatic cliffs where visitors can take motorized boats to the islands for swimming, snorkeling or diving, while Coron island is famous for freshwater lake diving.

According to the ADB, the project will be supporting the DOT-led program by offering solutions and financing to address the immediate need for vital urban infrastructure and services, such as solid waste management, drainage and sanitation, and clean drinking water in El Nido and Coron.

ADB further said the project, planned for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2020, would also help build the capacity of local stakeholders to protect and conserve healthy oceans and rehabilitate key biodiversity-based tourism sites.

To ensure tourism benefits the local communities, the bank said it would also explore innovative funding to local business enterprises and community-based groups for skills and product development to improve their quality of services.

Palawan, an archipelagic province in the western Philippines, is famous for white-sand beaches, dense rainforests and limestone cliffs that jut out of turquoise waters.

"Palawan is known as the country's 'last ecological frontier' and we want to ensure its rich marine ecosystem, particularly in El Nido and Coron, will be protected amid the rapid growth in tourist demand," the Philippine Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

"This project is critically important for ADB because we share with the Philippine government the goal of seeing local economies thrive on an environmentally sustainable path. Tourism, when managed properly, can be a catalyst for inclusive development that can lift residents of El Nido and Coron out of poverty," ADB Country Director for the Philippines Kelly Bird said.

A joint ADB and DOT team visited El Nido and Coron earlier this month to hold consultations with local government officials and local stakeholders as part of the preparations in designing the project, ADB said.

The Philippines is hoping to reach its target of 8.2 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2019, a million higher than in 2018.

The DOT said a total of 7.1 million foreign tourists visited the Philippines in 2018, tallying the highest ever number in the country's tourism industry. The improvement came at a 7.65 percent growth rate compared to the 6.6 million recorded in 2017.

The DOT said a total of 1,255,258 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines in 2018, the most improved market at an impressive 29.62 percent growth rate. Over 1 million Chinese tourists visited the country from January to August this year.

Tourism industries contributed 12.7 percent to the Philippine economy in 2018, the Philippines Statistics Authority said.