CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines – In a move to tap the bullish domestic market, including tourists coming to the Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Philippine International Trade Corp. (PITC) will pilot in Cebu a product depot dubbed “Tindahang Pinoy,” which will also be launched across key destinations in the country this year.

“Tindahang Pinoy” will cater to all export products in Cebu and the rest of Central Visayas serving tourists looking for local products to buy as gifts and souvenirs for relatives back home.

“Exporters have come to realize that they don’t have to put all their eggs in one basket. The foreign market continues to be volatile even as the domestic market is very promising,” said DTI Regional Director Asteria Caberte.

Currently, she said that tourists go to shopping malls, among other outlets, to buy these souvenir items.

Caberte said exporters are encouraged to tap the domestic and tourism markets as a strategy for expanding their reach and for them to cope with the lingering effects of the 2008-2009 global financial meltdown.

DTI has earmarked R1 million as assistance for this initiative. Caberte said a 600-square-meter space for the depot will be leased “in a high-traffic location.”

In a recent interview, the DTI regional director said the agency is working closely with the Cebu Gift, Toys and Houseware (Cebu-GTH) Foundation to establish the “Tindahang Pinoy” in Cebu which is scheduled to open next month.

The Cebu GTH Foundation will manage operations to ensure that products sold in the market pass high quality standards.

To capture the tourism market, she said the DTI will work closely with the Department of Tourism (DoT) and tour operators to include “Tindahang Pinoy” in their travel itineraries.

The National Economic Development Authority in Central Visayas (NEDA 7) has reported that after the economic slump in 2009, Region 7’s export industry emerged stronger in 2010, with value and volume of exports increasing by 28.2 percent and 24.9 percent, respectively.

Importations in the same year also increased 31.2 percent in value and 75.8 percent in volume, an indication of the recovery of the export sector, according to the reports.