BCDA, Clark woo tourism locators

MANILA, Philippines — The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Clark Development Corp. (CDC) are looking to entice investments from the travel and tourism sector in New Clark City and Clark Freeport Zone.

In a joint statement, the BCDA and CDC said they hosted an investment tour of New Clark City and Clark Freeport Zone for the international delegation of travel industry leaders from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) last Saturday.

The activity was organized by the BCDA and CDC with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority and the Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corp., the operations and maintenance provider for the new Clark airport terminal, to attract investments in New Clark City and Clark Freeport Zone.

Investment offerings in the New Clark City and Clark Freeport Zone were presented during the tour, which served as the final activity of the 21st WTTC Global Summit held in the Philippines from April 20 to 22.

The tour covered world-class sports facilities in the New Clark City, including the Fédération Internationale de Natation-approved Aquatics Center, the 525-room Athletes’ Village, as well as the Athletics Stadium.

WTTC delegates were also given a tour of hotels, resorts, tourist sites, luxury and recreational facilities, and corporate offices in Clark.

BCDA officer-in-charge president and CEO Aristotle Batuhan said the WTTC delegates’ visit was timely as Clark and New Clark City both play a critical role in the shift of the local tourism industry and the economy to the new normal.

“The BCDA has always believed that the vision for New Clark City as a smart, resilient, sustainable and inclusive metropolis of the future deserves to be on the world stage. What better way to do this than to let international tourism leaders experience in person the excitement that is building here in New Clark City. We at the BCDA are thrilled to host our WTTC guests and show them how far we’ve come in making this vision a reality,” he said.

Once the new Clark International Airport terminal starts its operations in the coming weeks and New Clark City reopens its doors to the public, he said more opportunities will open for travel, sports tourism and investments.

CDC president and CEO Manuel Gaerlan said WTTC delegates’ visit to the Clark Freeport Zone provides an opportunity to showcase the tourism developments in the area.

CDC is promoting the area as a prime tourism and commercial hub outside of Metro Manila.

There are over 1,100 business locators in the freeport.

“At the same time, we hope that their visit to the freeport will underscore Clark’s potential as a leading business location, with its stable investment climate and world-class facilities and utilities. We look forward to fostering a meaningful partnership with the members of WTTC and usher in more business opportunities and possibilities in Clark,” Gaerlan said.