DTI, DOT roll out ‘Turismo Asenso Loans’ to boost tourism jobs

Insider Spotlight

• TALP offers MSMEs up to ₱20M in low-interest financing to expand and create jobs.
• First batch released: ₱3.38M awarded to nine tourism MSMEs, including spas, resorts, and travel agencies in Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, and Metro Manila.
• Tourism’s impact: In 2024, visitor spending hit P3.86 trillion (8.9% of GDP), directly employing 6.75 million Filipinos and supporting 10 million more indirectly.
• Nationwide rollout: Applications open through the DTI-SBCorp Money Mobile App.
  
  

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) launched the Turismo Asenso Loan Program (TALP) to help tourism-related micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) expand and generate jobs across the country’s hospitality and travel value chain.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the ceremonial awarding of loans on Sept. 1, with P3.38 million released to nine MSMEs in the first batch. Beneficiaries include wellness spas, resorts, and travel agencies from Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, and Metro Manila, receiving loans between P150,000 and P1 million.

How it works

Jointly developed under a memorandum of agreement signed in April 2025, TALP offers MSMEs low-interest loans of up to P20 million. Terms extend up to five years with an interest rate of 1 percent a month on a diminishing balance.

The financing program is administered by DTI’s Small Business Corp. (SBCorp), with applications open nationwide through the DTI-SBCorp Money Mobile App.

What they’re saying

Trade Secretary Cristina A. Roque said the program underscores a whole-of-government approach to strengthen tourism, one of the most labor-intensive sectors of the economy.

Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina A. Roque

"By helping our tourism MSMEs, we are not only sustaining businesses but also securing livelihoods for countless Filipinos whose income depends on this sector."

“Tourism supports millions of jobs across hotels, transport, food, and local services. By helping our tourism MSMEs, we are not only sustaining businesses but also securing livelihoods for countless Filipinos whose income depends on this sector,” she said.

Roque added that DTI and DOT are aligning enterprise development with job creation.

The big picture

Tourism remains a major driver of the Philippine economy. In 2024, international and domestic visitor spending reached P3.86 trillion, or 8.9 percent of GDP. The industry directly employed 6.75 million Filipinos and indirectly supported nearly 10 million more.

With the TALP campaign now nationwide, government officials urged more tourism MSMEs to take advantage of the program as a lifeline to recover, innovate, and expand. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma