Marcos wants to open PH more to world to boost tourism, economy

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday expressed his intent to further “open” the country to the international community to boost tourism, which, in turn, would help drive economic growth.

READ: Marcos approves measures to boost PH tourism

According to Marcos, the development of the PTB demonstrates that the government is “putting together the building blocks” of its policy to “open up the country to international travelers without having to go through the Manila airport.”

“The influx of people, of travelers, is going to be a big boost to the local economy and, I might add, the national economy,” he said.



READ: World Expo 2025 `very good opportunity to promote PH tourism’ — Marcos

“Tourism right now contributes close to 8 percent to our GDP (Gross Domestic Product), and that is something that we want to increase, and that is why these projects that we have are also very important,” he added.

He also said similar agreements that led to the construction of the PTB are already being discussed for other regional airports, including those in Iloilo, Bohol, and Siargao.

“[But] I don't want to let that cat out of the bag because they are still in discussions. But the idea is to open up the Philippines, not necessarily only through Manila, but on international flights coming from Europe, coming from Southeast Asia, coming directly to the tourist destinations,” he explained.

The two-story Caticlan PTB—targeted for completion in 2027—is designed to have a total floor area of 36,470 square meters, featuring six passenger boarding bridges and 36 individual check-in counters.

It is projected to handle up to seven million passengers annually, with a simultaneous capacity of 3,000 passengers at any given time./mcm

(2025/07/14-11:19)

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