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MANILA, Philippines -- The travel tax imposed on Filipinos traveling abroad should be abolished as it ?dampens? their mobility, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said Friday.
At the opening of the 15th Travel Tour Expo, which had 170 exhibitors from 23 countries at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, Durano said: ?I support the abolition of [the] travel tax and let us find a sustainable source to fund the tourism sector.?
The travel tax ranges from P300 to P2,700, depending on one?s job and airline seat classification. Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents are among those who get special rates.
Durano described the collection of the travel tax as a ?martial law dictum? that must be stopped because it unnecessary burdens Filipinos who travel, particularly the millions of OFWs.
?There are still regulations that discourage the ability of the Filipinos to travel abroad,? he said.
Durano noted that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has certified as urgent the passage of the Tourism Act of 2007 sponsored by the Senator Richard Gordon.
The bill, which seeks to give incentives to tourism enterprises and raise the standards of tourist services through aggressive promotion, was passed on third reading at the Senate last week but has still to be passed by the House of Representatives.
Gordon, who also attended the opening of the Travel Tour Expo, said the Arroyo administration should put more money into tourism promotion.
He recalled that when he was tourism secretary, the national government only allotted $600,000 for tourism, which he said was too little compared to Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
He said Malaysia alone spent $180 million for promotional activities.
?The tourism industry in Asia is booming so we need to uplift the standards of our tourism services. It is important to urge the President to provide more budget for the industry,? Gordon said.
Gordon also urged Durano to revive the senator?s flagship project when he was tourism secretary, ?Wow Philippines,? in Manila?s historic Intramuros district to generate jobs, particularly for ordinary street vendors.
Jose Clemente III, president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA), said tourism has become the country?s ?newest sunshine? industry, contributing at least $5 billion from last year?s 3.09 million foreign visitor arrivals.
