More than a new brand

So much has been said about the tourism department’s recently unveiled (and consequently withdrawn then scrapped) branding proposal to replace the eight year old “Wow Philippines.”

But more than joining in the cacophony of protests or ridiculing the aesthetics of the proposed new brand – and mind you, some of the comments come as witty as can be – is the need to review once again our tourism initiative regardless of whether we continue using the old brand or pursue a new one.

If there is one thing going for the past administration’s tourism campaign, which includes the slogan “Wow Philippines,” it is the fact that tourist arrivals have indeed risen by leaps and bounds, even at a time when Malaysia and Thailand had already been in the midst of their own respective promotions.

Our tourism effort may not be as impressive as our neighbors in Asia, but it’s getting somewhere. Slowly but surely, the Philippines is slowly earning its mark.

Concerns

There are a number of concerns that remain outstanding for Philippine tourism to take off though. First and foremost is protection of visitors, especially foreigners who just want to bask in our warm weather and to enjoy our hospitability.

After that unfortunate hostage taking incident in Luneta where a number of Hong Kong nationals were killed, we cannot afford to go through something similar again. What we need to do is to tell the world what we are doing to mitigate these in future and to assure them that they will safely enjoy their visit to the country.

Terrorism, et al

There is also the problem of terrorism which unfortunately is now underpinned by the fact that the Philippines is the biggest Christian country in Asia. Add to this the reality that our intelligence and security capability is among the weakest in the region.

Neighboring countries like Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand with strong inbound tourism campaigns have meticulously set up anti-terrorism surveillance and response systems that are able to give a measure of confidence to tourists wanting to have an Asian holiday. What are we doing?

Recent advisories by the US and several European countries warning their nationals to avoid travelling to the Philippines because of escalating international terrorist aggressions had caught our government by surprise. This just shows the inadequacies of our intelligence radar.

Tourism act

Aside from responding to crises that affect our tourism initiatives, there is the mammoth responsibility of gearing the old tourism bureaucracy to a new set-up as mandated by the Tourism Act of 2009 or RA No. 9593 signed during the previous administration.

Aside from giving the Department of Tourism more responsibilities, power and resources, certain attached agencies including the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp. (PCVC), Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), and Duty Free Philippines (DFP) have also been reorganized.

The PCVC has been renamed Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) with funding from investment earnings of the Tourism Promotions Trust. It will also get 70 percent of the 50 percent net income of the new DFP accruing to the DOT, and at least 25 percent of the national government share remitted by international airports and seaports to the National Treasury.

An appropriation from the national government of not less than P500 million annually for at least five years from the time of its constitution is also stipulated. All of this money will be spent on marketing and promoting the Philippines as a global tourism destination.

The TPB will be expected to earn its keep as a company, and this ultimately should enable our tourism program to have a source of sustainable funds for future campaigns.

Tourism enterprise zones

The PTA has been reorganized into the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), with a fresh mandate to designate, regulate and supervise tourism enterprise zones (TEZs) as well as develop, manage and supervise tourism projects in the country.

Designated TEZs include Cebu, Davao, Bohol, Laguna, Cavite, Boracay, Palawan and Iloilo which were chosen for their strategic potential to lure foreign investors and tourists. TIEZA will be responsible also for naming new TEZs.

Like the TPB, TIEZA will have the capability to earn from its own managed projects although the bulk of its funding as a government corporation will still come from travel tax collections, the Office of Tourism Resource Generation, and subsidies or grants from local and foreign sources.

Local and national government responsibilities

The Tourism Act also calls for shared responsibilities between designated local governments and the national government in the promotion of the tourism objectives. This defined relationship is expected to encourage and hasten development of new TEZs.

More mature TEZs like Cebu, on the other hand, will be able to share their insights on how to cultivate and grow the tourism enterprise spirit. Cebu now is the most successful local tourism model accounting for over 20 percent of inbound tourist arrivals.

Waylaid by squabbling

Without doubt, the DOT has its hands full in laying the backbone for a truly competitive national tourism industry. Lest we get waylaid by all the squabbling about the most recent tourism branding, let’s widen our focus to include other important matters.

Heck, for starters, aren’t we ever going to see the NAIA 3 fully operational? Even if it looks already old compared to Thailand’s or Singapore’s, it still is in much better shape than what we have at NAIA 1, including its stained carpets, chipped seats, cuffed floors and stuffy toilets.

Forget about spending money on Pilipinas Kay Ganda and other brand taglines. They will just go to waste after seeing the sights that greet you upon arrival at our airports.

Collegiate basketball update

Sixteen teams have made it to the Sweet 16 Finals of the PLDT-SMART sponsored Champions League (PCCL) 2010 Philippine Collegiate Championship. As of today, four have fallen to the wayside on the road to the top.

University of Visayas, University of Iloilo and Jose Rizal University lost their first round assignments. University of San Carlos managed to reach the Elite Eight phase but eventually lost to the University of Cebu Webmasters. The Webmasters, powered by its top center Junemar Fajardo, captured the Overall Southern Islands Collegiate Championship and barged into the Final Four of the Champions League.

Starting today, FilOil Flying V Arena, San Juan City, is the venue of the remaining Sweet 16 games through the sponsorship of Raffy Villavicencio, head of FilOil Flying V Sports, and the other Villavicencion group of companies under the family patriarch, Chito Villavicencio.

Visit www.CollegiateChampionsLeague.net for more details about the Philippine Collegiate Championship.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25^th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net.