Philippine Tourism Laws and its impact on the Philippines

The following are some of the principles involving Philippine Tourism Laws.

Tourism is defined as the custom or practice of traveling for pleasure, as well as the promotion by establishment of countries to attract tourist (The Lexicon-Webster Dictionary, 1981 Encyclopedic Edition).

Tourism Law may be defined as a body of rules or principles of action which deals with the regulation, authority, relations and obedience among members of a society involved in tourist travel and accommodation. It includes persons traveling from place to place for pleasure (tourist), and business establishments or persons engaged in the occupation of providing various services for tourists.

Hence, Philippine tourism laws deal with the various laws governing Philippine tourism, including the various government agencies involved therein. It also provides current situations existing in the tourism, travel and hospitality industry which maybe analyzed, interpreted and resolved applying existing jurisprudence and legislation.

It is nice to quote the above principles because they remind me of our country's tourism industry. The Philippine tourism industry perennially has been a concern by many Filipinos. It is a key source of foreign exchange which impacts heavily on the country's balance of payments and the purchasing power of the peso. It is a main source of employment to millions of Filipinos working in various hotels and resorts, restaurants and bars, travel agencies, tour companies, entertainment outlets, parks, museums, galleries, theaters, casinos, et al. around the country and abroad. It is one industry that provides education, relaxation and leisure to its target local and foreign markets. The tourism industry is also made up of several sectors that provide both business opportunities and public service.

Just like any dynamic industry, the forces of the market create various business and personal experiences that cause challenging situations to arise. For example, the number of labor cases in the industry has remained high in the last 20 years. Air, sea and land transportation accidents seem to be regular item in the news. Some industry professionals who get promoted to executive positions find it challenging to make adjustments in their decorum and mindset giving rise to cases of sexual harassment, corruption, gross negligence, and others.

Consider this my first article on Philippine Tourism Laws.


Philippine Tourism Laws by Cabulay and Carpio