ESTABLISHMENTS offering accommodation and tourism-related services are urged to get accreditation for proper documentation, the City Tourism and Operations Office (CTOO) said on Monday.
CTOO head Jennifer Romero, the number of tourism arrivals in the city depends on the declaration of accredited tourism-related accommodation.
“When they will be registered with us, that is the basis on the collection of our month-on-month figures of tourism arrivals,” Romero said.
Comparatively, the accredited primary establishments registered in the city were recorded at about 230 in 2019. However, it reduced to 166 in 2024, which affected the number of tourism arrivals.
The office logged 1.8 million visitors in 2024. While it is 50% higher than 1.2 million in 2023, it did not surpass 2019 which has the highest record of tourist arrivals with 2.5 million.
Romero said once the establishments are registered in the city, the database will increase and positively impact the figure of tourism arrivals.
She said before an establishment acquires a city tourism certificate, it must be accredited by the Department of Tourism for check and balance.
Primary establishments include hotel accommodations, tourist aids, pension houses, dormitels, guest houses, motels, and vacation houses, among others.
“This is not only to regulate but to get a proper recording of all those establishments in the city,” she stressed.
Romero said through this, visitors can achieve a full tourism experience as DOT accreditation follows certain standards in amenities and services.
Visitors are also advised to book from accredited travel and tour suppliers and be assisted by CTOO for tourism-related concerns, to prevent being scammed online.
