Fake news bad for Philippine tourism, says DOT
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco on Tuesday called on Filipinos to be more vigilant against “fake news,” which she said has had “very negative” effect on the country’s tourism industry.
“The effect of fake news in our country has been very negative, because for tourism, confidence in the destination is very important,” Frasco said, speaking during a post-State of the Nation Address discussion with several other government officials.
“When you’re planning a family trip or a solo trip … you would consider the safety of the destination, and once there is fake information out there that labels a destination or a country as being unsafe, that’s absolutely devastating to our destinations,” she added.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) chief urged the public to “be circumspect as far as deciphering information that’s out there,” saying that “any perpetuation of fake news affects Filipino families [and] livelihoods.”
