I Believe In What Tourism Can Do

by Claire DG. Amador

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“Tourism is not just the physical movement from one place to the next, but a positive shift from one mindset to another. It is also a way of seeing the world and finding your place in it.”

This is a paraphrased thought combined from two authors whose names escape me right now (sorry, Sirs). Usually I start YTRIP* talks with it because it puts things in perspective: tourism is not just an industry, but a way of seeing things. It is about experiencing and living life.

I believe that tourism cuts across all sectors: it is very much economic, social, cultural, and political. It’s the kind of industry where everyone’s a participant. It’s also the kind of activity (for lack of a better term) that would transform (take note, transform and not just change) lives and outlooks and people. It can cause a revolution – it transcends cultures, connects stories, uplifts (or destroys) lives, and best of all, converts people. I use “convert” loosely because I always believe in the way traveling makes people better than they were when they left their bases. I also focus on people because at the end of the day – it is our decisions and actions that define the present and the future, the economy and the countries.

I have always believed that tourism will be the saving grace for the Philippines and it is one of the reasons why I fervently hope the government and the citizenry would give it the attention (and understanding and study) it deserves. A lot of countries and cities are investing so much in tourism – Budapest for instance, has it as its biggest contributor to the economy. Ethiopia is exploring it as its main economic driving force. California, as a state, recognizes it as a primary industry. For us, my question is, do we have what it takes to make tourism our main industry, our driving force? But first, do we want it?