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ELEMENTS OF TOURISM PLANNING

The following elements comprise the contents of a tourism plan:
Situational Analysis
Tourism planning begins with analyzing the available resources a destination is capable of offering. In this
section, the entire capacity of a destination is evaluated to assess its readiness for tourism, such as natural
and cultural attractions, tourism governance, tourism trends, and more. It also identifies the strengths and
weaknesses of the destination.
Goals, Vision, and Strategic Directions
Setting goals and objectives helps in focusing on what the tourism plan wants to achieve. Establishing strategic
directions will serve as a guide in the entire development process. Goals and objectives must address the
issues that are concerned with tourism in a destination.
Action Plans
These are the concrete actions that serve as a means to achieve established goals and objectives. An effective
action plan will increase the possibilities of achieving the desired goals and objectives. This must also be
realistic and doable within a specific timeline.
Budget
This is an important element of a tourism plan that pertains to the amount of monetary investment required
to carry out the strategies and action plans in order to achieve desired results.
Monitoring Plan
This section devises a plan on how to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiencies of the strategies
and action plans. It aims to see if the entire plan was able to achieve the desired results. If successful, this may

be used as a tool for other destinations to replicate the success of the tourism plan; otherwise, re planning or

changes might be necessary in order to lean towards the success of the plan.

TOURISM INDUSTRY PROFILING

Tourism Industry Components
Tourism industry profiling is the process of making an inventory of a destination’s tourism resources and
assets, which can be optimized and sustained. The process begins with identifying the following tourism
industry components:
Transportation
Attractions and activities
Accommodation
Tourist facilities/services (restaurants, transport terminals, public restroom, foreign exchange, etc.)
Institutional elements (local government unit, transport groups, tour guiding committee, non-government

organizations, etc.)
Other infrastructure (roads, bridges, footbridge, etc.).
Profiling of Tourists
Areas that are already developed/developing in tourism should have a basic idea of the types of tourists
visiting their area. For destinations that are yet to be developed for tourism, a systematic identification

process of current and potential visitors is necessary. This process can be done using the qualitative method of

information gathering.

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The following are guide questions in collecting information about tourists:

• Where do visitors come from?
• How far do they travel to reach attractions?
• What is their average age?
• How many males? females?
• Do they travel in groups (families, small groups, friends, colleagues, etc.)?
• How would you describe their income group and lifestyle?
• What are their interests?
• How do they book tourism products?
• Who/What influences their decisions especially in purchasing?
• How did they know about the destination?
• What are their activities in visiting the area?

PHILIPPINE LAWS INVOLVED IN TOURISM PLANNING

Tourism Act of 2009
The state declares tourism as an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national
interest and importance. This must be harnessed as an engine for the socioeconomic growth and cultural
affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange, and employment and to continue to mold and enhance
a sense of national pride for all Filipinos.
Tourism planners and developers must also be aware of the government agencies that they have to comply
with in each stage of the tourism development process. The following government agencies are mentioned in
the said Act:
Tourism Infrasrtructure and Enterprise • National Parks and Development Committee
Zone Authority • Nayong Pilipino Foundation
Tourism Promotions Board • Philippine Retirement Authority
Duty Free Philippines Corporation • Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba
Intramuros Administration Diving
National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992
This Act allows tourism in protected landscapes or seascapes provided that they will comply with the
following restrictions:
Hunting, destroying, disturbing, or mere possession of any plants, animals, or products derived from the
protected area without a permit from the management board
Dumping of any waste products detrimental to the protected area or the plants and animals or
inhabitants therein
Use of any motorized equipment without a permit from the management board.
Mutilating, defacing, or destroying objects of natural beauty or objects of interest to cultural
communities (of scenic value)
Damaging and leaving roads and trails in a damaged condition
Squatting, mineral locating, or otherwise occupying any land
Constructing or maintaining any kind of structure, fence, or enclosures, and conducting any business
enterprise without a permit

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Leaving in exposed or unsanitary conditions, or debris depositing in the ground or bodies of water
Altering, removing, destroying, or defacing boundary marks or signs.
There will be penalties for violations under this Act ranging from five thousand to five hundred thousand pesos,
not including the value of the damaged resource, and imprisonment of one (1) to six (6) years as determined
by the court.
Presidential Decree 1151 (Philippine Environmental Policy)
Section 4 of this decree implies that all actions, projects, and/or undertakings done by any entity, be it
government-owned or private organizations and enterprises, shall prepare a detailed statement regarding the
environmental impacts it may cause.
Section 5 requires agencies in charge of environmental protection must submit their respective guidelines in
carrying out the provisions of environmental impact assessment and statements presented by the entities
mentioned in Section 4.
Presidential Decree 1586
This presidential decree established the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) system and the Fisheries Code.
EIS serves as the system to predict the possible environmental consequence of implementing a project or
undertaking might bring. It also serves as a means to design appropriate preventive, mitigating, and enhancing
measures.
There are three (3) types of projects/undertakings according to the Philippine EIS system:
Those that are not environmentally critical projects (ECP) nor projects in environmentally critical areas

(ECA)
ECA projects – areas that are declared by law as national parks, watershed reserves, wildlife reserves, and

sanctuaries; contain areas of aesthetic value that can be potential tourist spots, habitats of wildlife species,

etc.
ECP – projects that include heavy industries (such as non-ferrous metal industries, iron and steel mills,

petroleum and petrochemical industries), infrastructure projects, golf courses, etc.

ECP and ECA projects are required to have an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) that is signed by the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ environmental management bureau regional director.
Climate Change Act of 2009
In relation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Climate Change Act of 2009
addresses the vulnerability of the Philippines to the impacts of climate change. Under this Act, there is an
established Climate Change Commission (CCC) for addressing several climate change issues in the country.
Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan Act
This is an Act specifically for Palawan, which is considered as the Philippines’ last frontier. The Act established
specific zones under the Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN) in which these are the only areas
where tourism is allowed. The areas covered by ECAN are the following:
Terrestrial – consists of mountainous areas, ecologically important low hillls, and lowland areas of Palawan
Coastal/Marine areas – includes the whole coastline area up to the open sea that serves as the zone for
fishing and tourism activities
Tribal ancestral lands – areas that are traditionally occupied by cultural communities.

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Magna Carta for Women

This Act puts emphasis on gender equality and women empowerment, where women shall be empowered
and have equal opportunities and access to resources. Furthermore, this law indicates the “right of women in
all sectors to participate in policy formulation, planning, organization, implementation, management,

monitoring, and evaluation of all programs, projects, and services” (Cruz, 2014).
In relation to tourism planning, Section 11 of the Magna Carta for Women provides the right for “participation
and equitable representation of women in all spheres of society particularly in the decision-making and policy-
making processes in government and private entities” (Cruz, 2014).
The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997
This Act protects the indigenous peoples’ (IP) ancestral lands, customs, traditions, values, beliefs, interests,
and institutions. IPs must be protected from discrimination and should be respected. They should also have
the right to participate in the decision-making process on policies that may affect them.
Their rights to ancestral land and domains include the following:
Ownership
Development of lands and natural resources
Benefits and share of profits from the allocation and utilization of natural resources
Negotiation of terms and conditions for the exploration and natural resources provided that the

ecological and environmental protection and conservation measures are ensured

Informed and intelligent participation in the formulation and implementation of any project that will

have an impact in their ancestral domains

Staying in their ancestral domains except for certain situations where relocation is necessary
Regulation of entry of migrants in their domains.
Magna Carta for Disabled Persons
There are provisions in this Act that refer to the tax incentives provided to private enterprises that employ
persons with disability (PWD) and establishments that modify facilities to accommodate PWDs. These also
include ramps, toilets, and parking spaces, among others.

Other Environmental Laws

Clean Air Act of 1999 – This is an Act for maintaining the good quality of air that is free from pollutions
caused by vehicles, industrial plants, etc.
Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 – This Act is for the prevention of polluting bodies of water from land

based sources such as sewage, wastewater discharge, etc.

Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 – This Act applies a comprehensive solid waste

management program, including composting, recycling, re-use, proper segregation, collection, etc.

References:
Cruz, R. (2014). Tourism planning and development. Manila: REX Bookstore.
Tourism Guidebook for Local Government Units. (2017). Retrieved from the Department of Tourism website:
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/guidebookandmanual.aspx on November 14, 2019

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