TOURISM AGGLOMERATION IN CENTRAL LUZON:
CHARACTERIZATION AND ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT ON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
(2020)
Client: National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Region 3
Funding Source: NEDA
Partner: The Palladium Group (Lead Firm) and ACER, Australia
Contract duration: 2020
Themes: Tourism; decent work and economic growth (SDG 8); responsible consumption and production (SDG 12)
Central Luzon is experiencing a surge in tourism with the development of the region’s transport infrastructure that has improved access and mobility in the region. While the spike in tourism has encouraged the growth of businesses, facilities and services in the tourism supply chain, it has also brought about challenges that are testing the capacity of the local government units in the region. This study aims to derive information on the triggers, extent and impact of tourism agglomeration on local development in all its dimensions: economic, socio-cultural and environment. This will help concerned project stakeholders develop a better understanding of the dynamics of the tourism industry’s growth, and in designing policies and management strategies that would draw the most benefit from tourism agglomeration and thereby promote a balanced and sustainable local development.
This study develops a tourism development framework for Central Luzon and three of its provinces, Aurora, Pampanga and Zambales. Key informant interviews (KIIs) and three provincial focus group discussions (FGDs), totaling 127 participants, are conducted using interview/discussion guides that considered the entire tourism supply chain. Input-output tables for Central Luzon and the three provinces are constructed and used to quantify the potential impacts of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to the COVID 19 pandemic on tourism in the region in the short run, and the potential requirements of a sustainable tourism sector in the region in the medium and long term. Capacity-building activities are also conducted for NEDA Central Luzon staff on tourism agglomeration, tourism development framework plan, and monitoring and evaluation.