Creative thinking required of tourism officials

Now that the Philippines is the subject of warnings to prospective travelers from at least six countries, it makes no sense for the tourism department to spend money on business as usual. And because of the bombing of that EDSA bus, we also can no longer say that the bombings are confined to faraway Zamboanga, Basilan and Sulu.

In fact, a test of sorts is about to happen. If this year’s Balikbayan season is not as enthusiastic as in the past, then we really must shift gears. What we need is a new strategy that takes into account the bad perception of our country as a tourist destination. If we cannot even assure overseas Pinoys with family ties here for Christmas, the casual foreign holiday seeker will cease to be the principal target of our tourism industry.

The initial target, if only to fill up rooms, will have to be domestic tourists. Yet, it seems to me that domestic resort operators are unwilling to make their rates reflect the new market conditions. I was thinking of going to Cebu with my family for the Christmas break. But based on the rates I have been quoted, it is clear the Mactan resorts do not seem to need me yet.

No hard feelings, I guess, if I end up in Singapore instead. I have not finalized my plans but the package rates available for Singapore seem tempting. Vietnam is also another possibility. If all else fails, there’s always Hong Kong. It isn’t a question of being patriotic and patronizing Pinoy, but being kind to your wallet. Bali is tempting now that the tourists are scared. But bringing my family there is really more risky than I care to take.

Then maybe, instead of buying advertising spots on CNN, the tourism people should consider convincing such shows as the Survivor series to film here. They are now in Thailand and as one of my daughters commented, that’s a sissy choice for the producers of a show with such a title. If they want a site for the series with a real wallop, they have to be in the Philippines.

Maybe having them do the Survivor series in Basilan or Tawi Tawi is a little extreme. But Samar would be great. There was a French eco-tourism type expedition in Samar some years ago. If we just gave the right incentives and assistance, the producers of Survivor can be convinced. Even if we spent on them for additional security, the money would stay within the country and generate business activities in the countryside.

The other possibility the tourism people should explore is health tourism. I caught a show on Star World some weeks ago that reported on just such a scheme in Thailand. They have put up a world-class medical center in Bangkok that targets foreign patients from Europe and India. One British patient said that he could get his prostrate operation done for free in Britain but the waiting time is too much. So he goes to this Thai hospital and gets it done quickly and at a reasonable cost. The quality of medical care, he said, is comparable to Britain. According to Star World, the Thais get their share of tourists this way.

If the Thais could do it, why couldn’t we? Pinoy doctors, after all is said and done, are among the world’s best. The last Pinoy who managed to attract health-oriented tourists was a faith healer in Baguio. I see no reason why honest-to-goodness doctors can’t do the same thing.

I haven’t been to the Asian Hospital in Alabang but I’ve been hearing good things about the facility. That includes people like Cesar Buenaventura, who swears it is world-class. The Executive Check-up package of P35,000 may be stiff for middle class Pinoys but that’s just a little less than $700. They could package that with an airline flying to Manila or with a special balikbayan package.

My son was charged $500 for an allergy shot in a San Francisco emergency room after he developed an allergy to caviar. So that $700 for a full medical check up should be peanuts for visiting balikbayans. That may even be a tax deductible reason to visit Manila this Christmas. Hopefully, though, the specialists moderate their charges. That’s the bad news I’ve been hearing about the Asian Hospital. The specialists are sending their patients bills that are, well, world-class too.

The point is, our tourism officials must be more creative. The sun and sea approach will no longer work under today’s environment. We can even open our skies wide and we still won’t be able to fill up our hotels. Not with all those travel advisories.

Luna’s painting

All’s well that ends well. Juan Luna’s painting, Parisian Life, will soon be back in the country after GSIS won the auction held over the weekend in Hong Kong. Well, it fetched a hefty price of about P46 million. That’s P46 million that’s well spent. At least, that’s P46 million that will not be lost to corruption or other such deeds.

The other good thing about the government’s decision to allow the painting to be "exported" for auction is that it upheld the principle that the painting’s owner could not be deprived of his right to his property without due process and just compensation. Even the Marcos decree being cited by Kim Camacho, the Finance Secretary’s wife, provides for that.

It should also, hopefully, put another Camacho woman in her place. Henceforth, she should not be flaunting her being the Finance Secretary’s wife to order Customs officials to carry out her interpretation of the law. After Imelda Marcos, our government has once more become a government of laws, not of wives.

And finally, the episode should open our eyes to a new attitude about Filipino art masterpieces. Perhaps, we should even encourage some of the world’s great art museums to acquire some of these masterpieces, so that Filipino masters can be among the world’s best. As Baby Villegas puts it, globalization had long taken place in the art world, ahead of trade. We must expand the market for Filipino art and establish their worth in dollar terms, not just in terms of a floating peso.

Priorities

Exasperated over the drug companies‚ sense of priorities, here’s a timely thought sent by Dr. Ernie E.

Over the past few years, more money has been spent on breast implants and Viagra than is spent on Alzheimer’s disease research. Because of this, it is believed that by the year 2010 there will be a large number of people wandering around with huge breasts and erections who can’t remember what to do with them.

(Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected])