MANILA—Sen. Erwin Tulfo called on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to address accessibility and reliability issues in the country’s transportation system, saying these are contributing to the decline in domestic tourist arrivals.

Tulfo raised the concern during the Senate briefing on the DOTr’s proposed 2027 budget on Friday, citing what he described as a “big problem” involving domestic tourism.

He pointed to the limited accessibility of some island destinations, noting that certain areas can only be reached through turboprop aircraft and require travelers to first go to Clark Airport.

“We have so many islands only accessible via turboprop but tourists need to go to Clark Airport first to ride these planes. Can we do something about this?” the Senator asked the DOTr representatives.

Tulfo said he had traveled around the country in recent months and observed a decline in arrivals at domestic tourist destinations.

“I went around the country the past few months and the arrival for domestic tourist destinations really declined. We have to do something to fast track making the transportation accessible to domestic tourists,” he added.

DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez said one option being considered is to lengthen and widen airport runways to accommodate more turboprop aircraft.

Lopez, however, acknowledged that expanding runways could be difficult in areas where available land is limited and may not be sufficient for larger runways.

Tulfo also urged the agency to consider passenger mobility when designing airport facilities, particularly for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

He proposed making the installation of tubes for passenger movement part of the DOTr’s airport design policy.

“The DOTr should make it a policy to incorporate tubes in designing airport facilities. The design should cater to commonsensical concerns of passengers and tourists,” the lawmaker suggested.