Tourism Planning

Guidebook for
Local Government
Units

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
The Rationale
Based on Section 37 of RA9593:
Consistent with RA 7160, Local Government
Units (LGUs) shall prepare and implement a tourism
development plan (TDP) that integrate zoning, land use,
and infrastructure development, as well as standards for
tourism enterprises, and heritage and environmental
protection based on the principle of sustainable tourism
development.

Based on Section 38 of RA9593:

All LGUs shall prepare an inventory of its
available resources as basis for local and national tourism
planning; as well as compile regular reports on the status of
their tourism plan(s) and programs, including tourist
arrivals, tourism enterprises, among others.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Key consideration for TDP
 Does your city, municipality, or province
has potential for tourism that you want
to harness or develop?

 Is tourism a thriving or emerging

industry in your locality, and you which
you want to take better advantage of it?

 If tourism is a major economic sector in

your locality, do you currently observe
impacts which you want to manage,
mitigate or control?

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
LTDP and Local Development Plans

The local tourism

development plan
(LTDP) must be
considered as part and
Comprehensive parcel of the CLUP and
Development Plan Comprehensive CDC.
Land Use Plan
Local Tourism It should not be taken in
Development Plan isolation but rather a
component of local
plans that provide an
elaboration of local
economic development
(LED) strategy and
PPAs
Local Vision and Development Strategy
DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Hierarchy of Local Tourism Plans

Provincial / City Tourism

Development Plan MunicipalTourism
Municipal Tourism
Municipal Tourism
Development Plan
Municipal Tourism
Development Plan Site Tourism
Development Plan Site Tourism
Development Plan Site Tourism
Development Plan
Development Plan
Development Plan

Local Economic Development

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Value of LTDP
 Inclusion in the National Tourism Development Plan
 Inclusion in the Medium Term Tourism Infrastructure
Program
 Technical assistance on the following:
 tourism statistics
 product development
 ecotourism planning and development
 marketing and promotions
 regulatory impact assessments
 standards development and implementation
 Wide access to other sources from NGAs and
international donors

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Intended Users

Provincial, City
and Municipal
Tourism
Officers
Provincial, City and Municipal Planning
and Development Officers

Local Tourism Stakeholders

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Tourism Planning Guidebook Structure
 Formulating the Local Tourism Development Plan (LTDP)

 Concepts, methods, step-by-step processes, worksheets and examples

 Supplemental readings

 Use separately to address the needs of the LGUs on a specific level of tourism planning
 11 Supplemental Readings: profiling the local tourism industry, linking the LTDP to CDP
and CLUP, adoption, implementation, financing, monitoring and e evaluation, managing
impacts, development of tourism products and marketing, tourism standards, organizing
the local tourism office, relevant laws, rules and regulations

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 Formulating the Local Tourism Development Plan (TDP)

 Simplified discussions of concepts, methods, step-by-step
processes and worksheets;
 Examples to aid users in developing elements of the TDP;
 Templates, tools and tips to simplify and facilitate plan
formulation.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Example: EO Creating the
TPC

TOURISM
DEPARTMENT OF
Tips

The participation of local or host

communities that will be affected by
tourism development is
important early on in the planning
process as it drums up support for the
industry and minimizes
resistance for any future project in the
area.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Step-by-step Processes

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Worksheet in Annexes

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 Supplemental Readings
 Helps you understand the different tourism concepts and tourism
planning processes.
 Can be used separately, depending on the needs of the LGU and
the specific level of tourism development in the destination.
 May also be used in combination with other readings.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 11 Supplemental Readings
1. Profiling the Local Tourism Industry
• Prepare an inventory of tourism resources and assets;
• Assess the tourism situation in your area;
• List down potential safety, security risks and natural
hazards; and
• Prepare a profile of tourists and visitors in your locality.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 11 Supplemental Readings
2. Linking the LTDP with the Local Mandated Plans
Outlines how the TDP would be placed in the context of:
•CDP (Comprehensive Development Plan)
•CLUP (Comprehensive Land Use Plan),
•PDPFP (Provincial Development and Physical Framework
Plan)

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Linking the LTDP with Mandated
Plans
 Helps mainstream two
major development
concerns which
significantly impact
tourism development
 Disaster Risk Reduction
 Climate Change
Adaptation and Mitigation
(DRR/CCAM),

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 11 Supplemental Readings
3. Adopting the Local Tourism Development Plan
• Steps on mobilizing support and commitment towards plan
institutionalization; and
• Provides tools and tips to facilitate adoption and
institutionalization of the TDP.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Example: Resolution Adopting the
TDP

TOURISM
DEPARTMENT OF
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 11 Supplemental Readings
4. Preparing for Plan Implementation
• Prioritizing and ranking tourism projects for implementation.
• Provides tools and examples on capacity development to
enhance success of plan implementation.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 11 Supplemental Readings
5. Financing the Tourism Development Plan
• guides you to outsource funds from public and private
sectors to finance the ranked tourism projects and shows the
importance of writing an effective tourism project proposal

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Project Proposal Outline

TOURISM
DEPARTMENT OF
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 11 Supplemental Readings
6. Monitoring and Evaluating the Tourism Development Plan
• Presents a simplified discussion of monitoring and
evaluation (M&E) and
• recommends simple tools on doing M&E.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 11 Supplemental Readings
7. Managing the Impacts of Tourism
• Helps you identify and analyze the positive and negative
impacts of tourism
• Teaches you on how to manage the impacts by enhancing
the positive and minimizing the negative impacts.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 11 Supplemental Readings
8. Developing Tourism Products and Marketing the LGU
Destination
• Aids you on how tourism products are developed and
promoted to attract visitors.
• Orients you on tourism marketing and promotions
techniques.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 11 Supplemental Readings
9. Institutionalizing Tourism Standards
• Existing national and international tourism standards and
encourage LGUs to develop their own local standards
based on local situation.
10. Organizing a Local Tourism Office
• Legal framework in organizing a local tourism office
• Suggests possible roles and functions of a local tourism
officer.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Standards Set by the DOT

TOURISM
DEPARTMENT OF
Major Parts of the Guidebook

 11 Supplemental Readings
11. Relevant Laws, Policies and Tourism-related Literature
• Web links on tourism-related laws and policies
• Development planning, the environment, gender and other
issues.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Formulating the LTDP
Who should be involved in tourism planning?

A multi-sectoral collaboration led by the local

tourism council with strong participation from the local
legislative body or the Sanggunian.

There should also be representation from

women’s and other marginal sectors.

A work plan must be drafted by the Planning Committee to

determine the specific activities, resource requirements and
duration of the planning process.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Formulating the LTDP
 LCE  Academe
Who should be involved in TP?

 Tourism Council (PS)  Barangay Captains of

 Tourism Officer barangays with tourism
 LPDC attractions
 Sangunnian Chairperson for  DoT-RO
tourism development  DILG LGOO
 Local agriculturist (if the LGU plans  LEIPO
on venturing into farm tourism)  Local DENR
 POs working in tourism areas  PNP
 Women’s organization involved in  DRRMC
tourism
 Transport sector
 NGOs
 PASU
DEPARTMENT OF
 Other sectoral reps & LGU
TOURISM
offices deemed important
Formulating the LTDP
Example: EO Creating the TPC

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Formulating the LTDP
EO Creating the TPC

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Formulating the LTDP
What are the steps in tourism planning? Table 1: Guide Questions to Tourism Planning
Steps Guide Questions

1. Analyze the situation Analyze the situation What is the tourism situation in
your locality at the present time?
2. Formulate goals and objectives Formulate goals and What do you want to achieve for
objectives tourism in your locality in the
3. Develop strategies future?

4. Identify and prioritize actions When do want to achieve this?

5. Develop a monitoring and Develop strategies What paths do you take?

evaluation strategy How do you get from the present

tourism situation to the future state
you desire?

The participation of local or host communities that will be Identify programs and What will you do to implement the
activities strategies?
affected by tourism development is important early on in the
Develop a monitoring How do you measure progress?
planning process as it drums up support for the industry and and evaluation strategy
minimizes resistance for any future project in the area.

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Formulating the LTDP
Criteria for Evaluating Site/ Attraction

1.Uniqueness and natural beauty

2.Historical/ cultural value
Where are you at present? 3.Accessibility
4.Availability of basic utilities
5.Availability of onsite facilities
1.Site evaluation – determining areas with greatest 6.Ownership of property
potential for tourism development 7.Quality of Surroundings

2.Problem identification – surfacing critical issues

Table 3: Steps in Problem Analysis
affecting the tourism destination
Step 1 Define the Problem: What negative thing do
3.Problem analysis – breaking down issues into small, you see happening?

detailed parts for better understanding Step 2 Collect data to demonstrate the Problem:
What proof do you have?
How long has the problem existed?
What is the impact?
Table 2: Steps in Conducting Site Evaluation Step 3 Identify causes of the Problem
STEP ACTIVITY OUTPUT Why does the problem exist?
Step 4 Identify the effects of the Problem(s)
Step 1 Accomplish the site/attraction evaluation worksheet with Site/ attraction evaluation sheet
appropriate scores Step 5 Establish the cause-effect relationship among
the problems identified
Step 2 Accomplish the site prioritization worksheet for all Site prioritization per category
categories of sites/ attractions visited/ inspected Step 6 Review the diagram as a whole. Verify the
cause and effect relationship
Step 3 Fill up the Site Prioritization Evaluation Summary Ranking of sites/ attractions
Worksheet

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Formulating the LTDP
Table 4: Steps in Objective Analysis
What do you want to achieve? Step 1 Convert negative statements from problem analysis into positive
Form a structure showing the means-ends relationship in the form of an
objective tree.
1. Identify goals and objectives
Step 2 Identify goals, objectives, programs, projects, activities and policies
2. Establish success indicators
Step 3 Review the diagram as a whole and verify its validity and completeness.
Revise the statements as necessary
3. Determine targets
Example: Objective Analysis- Primary Tourism Resource
4. Provide baseline data Increased tourist arrivals

Goal
5. Build scenario(s)

Objective
Coral reefs protected

Building scenario(s) should be well-framed so

that realistic futures can be developed in Develop ordinance banning Develop diving, snorkeling and
identifying trends, it is important to base your destructive and poor fishing boating protocol
assessment on evidence rather than practice
supposition. Solid waste management
Develop ordinance establishing program
PPAs

a septage management system

Ensure that trends are built on sound Liquid waste management
foundations. program
Develop ordinance establishing
a solid waste management
system
DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
 Components of a Tourism Cluster/ Circuit

Formulating the LTDP 1.Set of compatible attractions

2.Enroute facilities, such as restaurants, restrooms,
visitor information centers
3.Transport
3.Transport infrastructure and services
4.Service
4.Service center which provides accommodation and
What paths do you take? other needs of the tourists
Table 5: Steps in Developing Tourism Clusters/ Circuits
Strategies are means to achieve goals Steps Guide Questions
and are undertaken to gain competitive advantage Step 1 Identify major sites/ attractions using the resource/
over rivals attraction map.
Step 2 Identify second sites/ attractions which may be
developed that is/ are near the major attractions or
those which are of greater importance to the tourists
Types of Tourism Strategy
Step 3 Create possible circuits based on the location. It is
necessary to determine co-relation in terms of
Price-based strategy – finding competitive advantage by offering lowest geography, access and travel time
price
Step 4 Identify circuit themes
Differentiation strategy – getting ahead by offering stand out or better
quality or unique product Step 5 Identify enroute facilities, transport infrastructure and
services, service center
Hybrid strategy – providing value added and high quality products at low
Step 6 Identify possible activities for each site/ attraction
prices
Step 7 Identify those which can be developed in 0-3 years
Focus strategy – customizing products and services for a particular and 4-6 years, etc.
market segment
Step 8 Create a summary report using the Tourism Circuit/
Cluster strategy – grouping sites and attractions to maximize tourism Cluster Worksheet
benefits in terms of jobs and revenues

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Tourism Cluster Strategy

• Tourism Cluster comprises a group of LGUs

(provinces) within one of the existing Tourism Cluster
administrative regions (Groups of LGUs in
a Region)
• A gateway to a cluster represents either an
airport, road or seaport or combination of Gateway to
these that is the tourist’s primary entry point Tourism Cluster
to a cluster.
(LGU Capitol)
• A Tourist Development Area (TDA) is an area
covered by a single LGU that is already a Tourism
developed or emerging tourist centre Development
Area (LGUs)
• A tourism Site (TS) is a specific attraction
such as a national park, nature reserve, or
historic site, or a man-made feature such as Tourism Site
a beach resort or leisure and entertainment (Within LGUs)
centre that are visited by tourists

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Formulating the LTDP
What actions need to be done? Example: Identifying PPAs in a Tourism Circuits
Circuit Issues and Timeframe Programs and
Programs, projects and activities (PPAs) are Name Concerns Projects
means towards the achievement of results. Bohol Loay backyard
Country- industry
industry
side
Programs pertain to package of inter-related Tour Local craftsman 0 – 3 years Product
projects. are producing low
quality products
development
workshops

Products are
Projects refer to undertaking with well limited and Skills training
defined purpose and specific timeframe. lacked variety

Example: Identification of Tourism PPAs from problem and objective analysis Craftsman are
not used to Training on
Goal Objective/s Strategy PPAs receiving tourists basic tourism
and tourist
Increase Improve tourism skills of Develop community- Tourism planning
receiving
income of host island community based ecotourism Product development
host island packages for small workshop
communities islands Tour guiding seminar
Increase number of Homestay program
tourism-related Micro-credit program
businesses owned by
host island community

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Formulating the LTDP
How will you measure progress?

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is a management tool that informs all tourism stakeholders about
the efficiency and effectiveness of strategies, PPAs that have been implemented.

Evaluation results can be useful in replicating success and correcting mistakes, and can also serve
as accountability and learning tool.

The development of M&E should not be an afterthought but should be undertaken as an integral
part of the planning phase.

Example: Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy

Goals and Success Indicators Targets per indicator Data Source to Assess Collection Frequency Responsibility
Objectives Performance Methods
Increased number of Number of business 100% increase in Business Permit and Document review Every three years Local Planning and
tourism-related permits issued by number of tourism- Licensing Office Development Officer
businesses owned LGUs with owners related businesses
by host community from host owned by host Tourism Officer
community community

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
Formulating the LTDP
Example: Recommended Contents of Local Tourism Development Plan
How do you package your LTDP? Tourism Council Resolution Endorsing the Plan
Sanggunian Resolution/ Ordinance adopting the Plan

Packaging puts a face and Location Map

identity to a plan. It affects the Introduction

marketing of a plan to potential donors or I. Tourism Profile

partners. a. Existing tourism attractions, products and activities

b. Existing tourism markets
c. Accommodation and other tourism facilities and services
Naming the plan is also an d. Transportation network and services
important concern as it provides and e. Other infrastructure
describes an identity to the plan f. Natural and socio-economic environment
document. g. Institutional
II. Goals, Objectives and Targets

The content of the plan must a. Strategic issues and challenges

be well thought-off. It is important to b. Tourism goals, objectives and targets

make the Plan as concise as possible. III. Strategic Directions/ Strategies and PPAs
IV. Implementation Plan for Priority PPAs
V. Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
 Thank You!

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
 Questions?

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM
 Thank You!

DEPARTMENT OF
TOURISM