Philippine Department of Tourism Champions Challenge: Empowering LGUs in Collaborative Innovation and Infrastructure Development

Themes

Innovation Leadership: It promotes creative approaches and solutions to improve tourism services and operations, influencing other sectors and stakeholders in the public and private sectors.

Service Quality: The challenge encourages continuous improvement in tourism services to enhance visitor experiences and public service delivery within the tourism sector.

Overview

The Department of Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC) is an initiative to empower local government units (LGUs) to develop high-impact tourism projects that enhance regional tourism potential. The challenge addresses the growing demand for local tourism due to the rebound of tourism performance post-pandemic and the need to manage over-tourism in prime destinations such as Boracay and Baguio. By providing technical assistance, capacity building, and financial support to 15 notable projects, the TCC fosters sustainable and innovative tourism development, supporting LGUs in maximizing their tourism assets while ensuring equitable growth across all regions.

Challenge

While tourism demand has increased, it remains concentrated in prime destinations like Boracay and Cebu, leaving many of the over 1,600 local government units (LGUs), particularly municipalities, underutilized despite their significant potential for tourism development. The DOT faces challenges in identifying and supporting the development of new tourism circuits, leading to an uneven distribution of tourism infrastructure and resources. This imbalance hampers the promotion of emerging destinations, limits opportunities for equitable tourism growth, and undermines the potential economic and social benefits for local communities, highlighting the need for more effective and inclusive tourism management strategies.

Solution

The TCC aims to foster innovation and address the need for high-impact tourism projects. By promoting a nationwide tourism development initiative, the program encourages LGUs to propose innovative tourism projects aimed at maximizing untapped local destinations through a structured, nationwide competition. Fifteen LGUs with outstanding tourism project proposals are selected for funding and technical support, allowing them to develop their local tourism sectors effectively. Key innovative features of TCC include:

Multi-phase Process: The TCC implements a structured, transparent selection process that involves multiple phases. It begins with a call for project proposals from local government units (LGUs), followed by evaluations to assess the feasibility and alignment of each proposal with tourism development goals.

Capacity-Building: TCC prioritizes equipping LGUs with essential skills through capacity-building initiatives, enabling them to develop and implement sustainable tourism projects. These activities ensure that LGUs not only focus on short-term solutions but also develop long-term plans that enhance their tourism potential while preserving local culture and environment.

Technical Inspection: The technical inspection process ensures that proposed tourism projects adhere to national tourism standards. This critical step involves reviewing the projects’ designs, facilities, and overall compliance with the guidelines set by the Department of Tourism, ensuring that projects can deliver high-quality tourism services and experiences.

Project Funding from TIEZA: The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) has allocated PHP 180 million to fund the top 15 tourism projects from across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This funding provides a significant boost for LGUs to realize their projects and contribute to regional tourism development.

Collaboration with Partners: TCC emphasizes a collaborative approach by engaging external judges, resource speakers, and knowledge partners. This ensures a thorough review of project proposals, as well as the capacity enhancement of LGUs through expert guidance and training, leading to more innovative and effective tourism projects.

What makes these features innovative is the emphasis on local empowerment and competitive funding, where top-performing LGUs are provided with technical and financial assistance to bring their visionary tourism projects to fruition, fostering a broader, sustainable tourism ecosystem.

Productivity Gains, Outcomes, and Impact

Visitor arrivals increased by 9.89%, reaching 4,437,963 from January to September 2024, compared to 4,038,379 during the same period in 2023. In 2023, TIEZA implemented a total of 20 tourism projects. Through the TCC, a total of 98 LGU proposals were submitted, with 90 coming from various LGUs. Of these, 41 proposals were endorsed by DOT Regional Offices, including 14 for Ecotourism/Mangrove Rehabilitation, 9 for Agri-Farm/Nature Parks, 7 for Information Centers/Multipurpose Halls, 5 for Cultural/Heritage/Museums, 3 for Jetty Ports, 2 for Sports/Adventure Tourism, and 1 for an Access Road/Trail. The top 15 LGUs exemplify this initiative, with notable projects such as the Ambaguio Skyport in Nueva Vizcaya, the first local paragliding airport terminal in the country, and Tubigon’s Enchanted Ilijan Plug in Bohol, which enhances local tourism through eco-friendly attractions. Other notable winners include the Pinagpalabg Lagusan sa Bakawan mangrove park in Occidental Mindoro and the Mangrove Boardwalk and Gallery in the Island Garden City of Samal. Each selected project will receive tiered funding from TIEZA, with the highest-ranking proposals receiving PHP 20 million each, helping to develop new tourism circuits and distribute tourist traffic away from overcrowded destinations. A key achievement of the TCC is the increased capacity of LGUs to manage tourism projects. By adopting a multi-phase approach, LGUs gain access to technical expertise, capacity-building programs, and funding opportunities, resulting in successful project implementation.

This ensures that LGUs develop sustainable tourism infrastructures that align with environmental and economic goals, utilizing green materials and integrating local culture into tourism development. As a result, the LGUs have improved their tourism assets, which attract more visitors, foster economic growth, and create job opportunities in local communities. The competition format encourages the development of high-quality proposals, pushing LGUs to elevate their tourism strategies and thus enhancing the overall productivity of the tourism sector in the Philippines.

The program has also equalized opportunities by providing funding to municipalities with limited resources, allowing them to compete alongside more developed regions. For example, regions with lesser-known tourist attractions, such as Agusan del Norte and Dinagat Islands, were able to propose projects that could potentially transform their local tourism landscapes. These initiatives are poised to create new tourism destinations, redistribute visitor flows, and stimulate local economies, contributing to overall national tourism performance. Moreover, the rigorous project evaluation process ensures that funded projects meet high standards for resilience, sustainability, and economic viability, thus maximizing their long-term impact on regional development and promoting sustainable tourism practices.

Lessons Learned/Challenges in Implementing the Intervention

One of the key lessons learned from the implementation of the TCC is the importance of early capacity building for LGUs. Many municipalities struggled with the technical requirements during the proposal stage, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive support mechanism at the outset. Additionally, the challenge encountered delays in some regions due to logistical issues, particularly during site inspections and the approval process, indicating that better coordination among government agencies is crucial for smoother project implementation.

Another lesson is the value of continuous feedback and stakeholder engagement throughout the competition phases. While the challenge promoted innovation, some LGUs faced difficulties in sustaining the momentum after initial funding, suggesting the need for long-term support beyond the project’s completion. These insights suggest that future iterations of the TCC could benefit from enhancing preparatory stages and ensuring sustained post-project support to maximize the impact of tourism development initiatives.

Lastly, there is a need for stronger collaboration between the DOT and other government agencies to streamline the clearance and permitting processes, which often causes delays in project timelines. Expanding public-private partnerships, as demonstrated by successful models like the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Global Mayors Challenge, could foster innovation and sustainability in local tourism projects.