The Department of Tourism (, DOT) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the regulation of the Philippine tourism industry and the promotion of the Philippines as a tourist destination. History Started as a private initiative to promote the Philippines as a major travel destination, the Philippine Tourist & Travel Association was organized in 1950. In 1956, the Board of Travel and Tourist Industry was created by Congress As stipulated in the Integrated Reorganization Plan in 1972 sanctioned as a law under Presidential Decree No. 2, as amended, the Department of Trade and Tourism was established, reorganizing the then Department of Commerce and Industry. A Philippine Tourism Commission was created under the unified Trade and Tourism Department to oversee the growth of the tourism industry as a source of economic benefit for the country. In 1973, President Ferdinand Marcos created a new cabinet-level Department of Tourism (DOT) by splitting the Department of Trade and Tourism into two separate departments. Included in the new Department of Tourism, the agency Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) and the Philippine Convention Bureau (PCB) were created. The Department of Tourism was then renamed Ministry of Tourism as a result of the shift in the form of government pursuant to the enforcement of the 1973 Constitution. In 1986, under Executive Order Nos. 120 and 120-A signed by President Corazon Aquino, the Department of Tourism was reorganized and, correspondingly, the Convention Bureau was renamed the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation, and the Intramuros Administration was attached, previously being under the defunct Ministry of Human Settlements. In 1998, the Department of Tourism assumed a prominent role in the culmination of centennial celebration of the country's independence from the Spanish Empire in 1898. In 2003, the Department of Tourism initiated one of its most successful tourism promotion projects, WOW Philippines, under Secretary Richard J. Gordon. The latest improvements in the tourism industry in the country came about with the passage of Republic Act No. 9593 or the "Tourism Act of 2009." Organization structure The department is headed by the Secretary of Tourism (Philippines), with the following four undersecretaries and assistant secretaries. Undersecretary for Administration and Special Concerns Undersecretary for Public Affairs, Communications & Special Projects Undersecretary for Tourism Development Planning Undersecretary for Tourism Promotions Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation Coordination & Resource Generations Assistant Secretary for Administration and Special Concerns Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Communications and Special