A surge in domestic travel and foreign tourist arrivals in 2022 following easing mobility restrictions have bolstered economic activity but the environment took toll for it, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed.
According to Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism, a developmental satellite account compiled by PSA to provide information to balance economic, environmental and social aspects of tourism development, the carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products by the tourism sector was equal to 6,840.07 gigagrams in 2022, up 75 percent from the 3,907.80 Gg in 2021. One gigagram is equivalent to 1 million kilograms.
Transportation services accounted 57 percent of carbon dioxide emission or a total 3,868.40 Gg.
Carbon dioxide accounts for nearly 80 percent of human contribution to the greenhouse effect a decade ago. The greenhouse effect keeps global temperature above freezing but overly increasing carbon dioxide level would mean temperatures will rise.
MST data showed that the total energy consumption of tourism from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products increased 85 percent year-on-year in 2022 to 5,678.86 kilotons of oil equivalent, with accommodation services for visitors posting the highest energy consumption.
Water consumption in 2022 of the tourism industry reached 286.84 million cubic meters, more than double the 133.44 million cubic meters consumed in 2021.
Hotels and other accommodation services accounted for the highest water consumption at 74 percent.
PSA data showed that the gross value added of tourism to the economy stood at 6.2 percent, equivalent to P1.38 trillion, up 37 percent year-on-year. Data showed tourism-identified industries employed around 5.35 million in 2022, up 9.3 percent from the previous year.
Department of Tourism statistics showed that because of the so-called “revenge travel” foreign tourist arrivals surged to 2.65 million last year from 488,588 in 2021 while domestic travelers skyrocketed to 37.1 million from the previous year’s 13.3 million.
