Marcos Appoints Dita Angara-Mathay as New Tourism Chief
- Jun 5
- 2 min read
By Freida Dario-Santiago
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Dita Angara-Mathay as the new secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT), Malacañang announced on April 10, tapping a veteran trade and investment official to lead the country’s tourism sector.
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Angara-Mathay brings decades of experience in trade, investments and international economic engagement. Before her appointment, she served as commercial counselor at the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Tokyo, where she worked closely with Japanese industries and investors, one of the Philippines’ major tourism and investment partners.
The administration said the appointment reflects the administration’s goal of positioning tourism not only as a showcase of Philippine culture and destinations, but also as a key driver of employment, enterprise development and regional economic growth.
Throughout her career, Angara-Mathay has also been involved in programs supporting industry development and expanding opportunities for Filipino micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
In a report by Rappler, Angara-Mathay was described as a trade diplomat whose work spans both tourism and economic development.
Angara-Mathay also represented the Philippines in several international industrial dialogues and summits, including the SEMI Southeast Asia Investment Forum and Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo in 2025. During her stint with the trade department, she also helped secure around P51 billion in investment pledges from Japanese firms during an economic mission to Japan in September 2025.
She succeeds Christina Garcia-Frasco, who was earlier appointed Presidential Adviser for Sustainable and Resilient Communities following controversy surrounding tourism campaign promotions.
The tourism sector remains one of the government’s priority industries as it seeks to recover further from the pandemic downturn.
Her appointment comes as the Philippines continues working to raise international visitor arrivals, which remain below several regional neighbors. The country welcomed 6.4 million international visitors in 2025, generating about P694 billion in tourism receipts.
“Last year, we only welcomed six million people. Just to give you a frame of reference, Thailand welcomes 30 million tourists every year, kaya malaki ang hahabulin natin,” (we have a lot of catching up to do)
President Marcos said during the unveiling of the Mactan Expo in Cebu in March.
Speaking before tourism stakeholders in her first major industry address, organized by the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) last April 29, Angara-Mathay said the DOT would prioritize tourism investments, domestic travel, and high-value sectors such as MICE, wellness and cultural tourism as part of efforts to strengthen the industry amid the ongoing energy crisis. She also cited improvements in infrastructure, digital systems and travel processing, while targeting key Asian and long-haul markets to boost arrivals and investments.
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