In his keynote address at the first general membership meeting for 2012 of the Philippine Tour Operators Association at the Hotel InterContinental in Makati City, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said accessibility to major tourist destinations is one of the key focuses of the National Tourism Development Plan. "This will be improved with the frontloading of [expenditures] for transportation and infrastructure projects such as the upgrading of major hubs for both sea and air. For the first time, the bulk for infrastructure [spending] in 2012 will be for tourism."

Among the major tourism projects are the upgrade of the Puerto Princesa airport to an international airport and in the medium-term, the improvement of airports in Mactan, Cebu; Panglao, Bohol; and Kalibo, Aklan as well. The infrastructure program also includes the implementation of the North Luzon and South Luzon expressway "connector projects," and the upgrade of sea ports which would encourage major cruise lines to dock in Manila at a time when these companies are beginning to look at Asia again.

Jimenez also disclosed ongoing negotiations with Singapore tourism officials to create a "Sunshine Trail" that will bring tourists in Singapore to the various tourist destinations in the Philippines. He said that the Changi airport already serves as a major gateway to the Philippines, "all we have to do is pull the value out of the Singapore market and bring it to us."

Underscoring that the government is already doing its job by financing tourism infrastructure projects and embarking on a marketing campaign, the DOT chief also urged tour operators to support these efforts by offering "competitive" travel packages to the country.

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