Envoy: Philippine security woes to drive away EU tourists

CEBU, Philippines — Even as the Philippines seems to have it all in order to lure the wealthy European travelers, but if peace and order concerns will not be addressed, it will remain as the least destination of choice for this particular group of foreign tourists.

Head for European Union (EU) Delegation and EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen warned that European travelers in general are conservative and are adamant on their safety, as well as overall personal health.

"The important thing [for European tourists] is to have peace and order," Jessen said stressing that as long as the Philippines won’t be able to fix this concern, it will be unlikely to see more Europeans taking their vacations in the Philippines.

Jessen made mention specifically of the ongoing martial law in Mindanao, which primarily disturbs European tourists.

What made the situation worse, is the Philippines does not have clear direction on how it is going to project itself to the international tourism market, with positioning or branding proposition is flipping back and forth.

Continuity of tourism programs, branding and image positioning is important in the success of a destination, such as the Philippines.

"Think about what image you want to project for your country. How are you going to project the country to the rest of the world," the envoy said adding that it is critical for Philippine tourism to see and observe how the country is being perceived by the rest of the world.

Latest record from the Department of Tourism (DOT-7) revealed that tourist arrivals from European countries recorded negative performance for the first four months this year.

Western Europe (Belgium, Austria, France, Germany, Luxemberg, Netherlands, Switzerland ) posted 2.14 percent drop in arrivals; Northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and United Kingdom) registered 4.42 percent decrease in arrivals.

Fewer tourists from Southern Europe (Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Union of Serbian and Montenegro) arrived in Central Visayas from January to April this year, with 3.19 percent decline.

European tourists from Poland, Russia and Commonwealth Independent States in the Eastern part of Europe registered the largest drop in arrival with 11.35 percent. (FREEMAN)