A senator urged the Department of Tourism (DOT) to encourage hotel operators to start providing locally-produced toiletries and slippers to support the local industries.

Senator Sonny Angara said the steady rise in tourist inflow is a great opportunity to promote quality-made local products, noting that the department should provide hotel owners enticing incentives to support such effort.

“We must continue to find ways to support our local industries and providing hotel guests with essentials such as slippers, soaps, and shampoos made by Filipino entrepreneurs will go a long way in attaining this goal,” Angara said.

“When the demand goes up, the manufacturers will produce more, their businesses will grow and more jobs will be created. In the end, all of this will spark economic activity and will even reduce our carbon footprint,” Angara added.

The lawmaker also suggested that the hotels could be required to put up either Go Lokal! or One Town One Product (OTOP) stores to further promote locally-produced goods.

The Go Lokal! store concept is an initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry to provide micro, small, and medium enterprises a venue to showcase their high-quality and innovative products and help them penetrate the local and even global markets.

OTOP stores, on the other hand, sell souvenirs or pasalubong sourced from different regions of the country.

Angara said these Go Lokal! and OTOP stores should also be placed in all airports in the country. (PNA)