Manila, Philippines — Fifteen local government units (LGUs) across the Philippines were honored on Monday for their innovative tourism projects in the Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC), an initiative aligned with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s goal of establishing the country as a leading tourism destination in Asia.
According to Philippines News Agency, the TCC, which was formally launched on April 4, 2023, received about 98 project proposals from 90 LGUs. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco emphasized that the challenge was designed to foster balanced tourism development to prevent the social, environmental, and cultural issues that can arise from mass tourism. "Through the TCC, we are taking deliberate steps to distribute tourism growth more evenly, ensuring that every community benefits from our collective efforts," Frasco stated.
The winning projects were selected based on criteria including resiliency, inclusivity, and sustainable development; relevance to the challenge's theme; projected tourism impact; economic viability; sustainability mechanisms; and presentation quality. Judges from various agencies including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry participated in the evaluation process.
The awarded LGUs were distributed equally among the country’s three main geographical divisions: five from Luzon, five from the Visayas, and five from Mindanao, each receiving rankings from first to fifth place. Notable winners included Ambaguio in Nueva Vizcaya, which took first place in Luzon for its paragliding airport terminal project, and Isabela City in Basilan, which was the top winner in Mindanao for its jetty port and leisure development project.
In recognition of their efforts, the winners received funding from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) to implement their projects. The amounts ranged from PHP20 million for first place to PHP7 million for fifth place. Additionally, President Marcos announced an extra PHP5 million for each winner, reaffirming the national government's commitment to supporting successful local tourism initiatives. "We're doing this because it is a very good policy to invest in success. So, make the most of it. Make the Philippines proud," President Marcos remarked during the award ceremony.