Concepcion sees bright prospects in tourism, agribusiness

Jose Ma. Concepcion III, presidential adviser on entrepreneurship and Philippine chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, urges businesses to tap social media sites as a marketing tool. /Irene R. Sino Cruz

CEBU CITY, Philippines–The country’s tourism and agribusiness sectors face bright prospects, said Jose Ma. Concepcion III, presidential adviser for entrepreneurship and Philippine chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council.

Concepcion inducted the new set of officers and board of trustees of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday, April 2.

Concepcion explained that the Philippines has far more to offer as a tourist destination compared to other Southeast Asian countries like Thailand.

In 2018, the Philippines tourism arrivals reached 8.1 million, way below that of Thailand, which had over 30 million tourists.

The Philippines has more beautiful sites like Boracay and Cebu as well as upcoming sites such as Palawan and Siargao, he pointed out.

However, Concepcion cited the need for access to these tourist destinations. This could be addressed by improvement of existing and construction of new airports to bring in more tourists, he said.

On agribusiness, Concepcion cited the needs for farmers to adopt new strategies such as the use of high yield seeds.

He also identified digitalization as an important factor in achieving inclusive growth.

Digitalization would enable micro, small and medium enterprises to have access to mentorship, financing and market, he added.

Concepcion also pointed at the need to maintain a democratized ecosystem by linkages through the three Ms: Mentorship, Money and Market./dcb