Student fare act to boost travel among young Filipinos

The implementation of the student fare discount act is seen to encourage more travel among younger Filipinos across the country.

“The student fare discount fare positively affects domestic tourism as it makes traveling around the country more affordable for our young people,” Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) president Jojo Clemente told in a text message.

“It encourages them to see more of our country,” he added. President Duterte earlier signed into law Republic Act 11314 or the Student Fare Discount Act.

The law covers all forms of public transportation including jeep, bus, UV Express van, taxi, transport network vehicle service, railways (MRT,LRT, PNR) as well aircraft and ships.

In 2018, the number of domestic tourists reached 110 million, a 14.1 percent rise from 96.4 million domestic tourists in 2017.

This is already way above the 2022 target of 89 million domestic tourists under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP).

Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, domestic tourism expenditure grew 21 percent to P3.2 trillion from P2.6 trillion in the year before.

Of such expenditure, transport services account for the second largest share of expenditure among tourism characteristic products, at 10.2 percent or P352.6 billion.

Accommodation still accounts for the largest share at 21.3 percent or P681 billion.

Despite the growing expenditure, Filipinos are still seen as one of the most frugal travelers in the world, according to e-commerce firm Picondi.

According to a recent survey by the e-commerce firm, Filipino travelers ranked 39th out of 41 countries in terms of travel spending, as they shell out an average of P13,171 ($252) per person on a holiday.

It added that most Filipino travelers prefer to organize trips by themselves rather than opt for travel agencies in a bid to save.

Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. earlier said he expects the demand for domestic tourism to further grow as travel has become a necessity for many Filipinos.

“Over those three years, we’ve had headwinds, different kinds of challenges, but the numbers continue to grow. And I think it’s a reflection of how many Filipinos see travel as a necessity rather than a luxury,” Bengzon said.