DOT: NCoV won’t drastically affect tourism

MANILA, Philippines — Tourism in the country will not be drastically affected by the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (nCoV ARD) amid fears that the outbreak of the virus from Wuhan, China could slow down tourist arrivals in the country, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said yesterday.

Puyat told radio station dzBB that local tourism has not been disturbed by nCoV.

She cited the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) several years ago, wherein “local tourism was not also affected.”

The Department of Tourism (DOT) record of tourist arrivals in the country showed that as of November last year, some 7.48 million foreign tourists visited the Philippines.

South Koreans were the country’s top tourists with about 1.785 million, followed by Chinese with 1.6 million.

Puyat said the number of Chinese tourists could decline with the 2019-nCoV scare, but stressed that the safety of Filipino citizens and tourism workers would have to come first.

She pointed out that the imminent slowdown of tourist arrivals in the country could also be a “win-win”situation for Filipinos.

Local hotels operators and tour providers promised that they would drop their prices, thus presenting an opportunity for more Filipinos to tour the Philippines, she said.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian called on Filipinos to help support the local tourism industry, which is expected to suffer following the temporary travel ban on tourists coming from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau following the outbreak of the nCoV.

Gatchalian urged the DOT to embark on an aggressive marketing campaign to intensify the promotion of domestic tourism to help small entrepreneurs and their workers in the regions.

He said Filipinos could also avoid traveling abroad to lessen chances of contracting nCoV and help stop the spread of the virus.

The tourism industry of Negros Oriental reportedly experienced booking cancellations immediately after it was reported that the two persons who tested positive for nCoV visited the province.

During Tuesday’s Senate hearing, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said it is too early to ascertain the economic effects of the virus scare.

Although he did mention that in the immediate term, the temporary closure of factories in China which can cause possible global supply reduction might have minimal impact on the country’s exports.

Sen. Nancy Binay proposed a Senate inquiry on the effects of nCoV outbreak on the local tourism industry.

Binay filed Senate Resolution 316 to look for measures to help local tourism.

On Jan. 30, the World Health Organization declared the nCoV outbreak as a global health emergency.

In 2018, Binay said the contribution of tourism to the Philippine economy was estimated at 12.7 percent.

The Philippine government, upon the recommendation of the Department of Health, has issued a temporary ban covering all travelers coming from Hubei province of China.

Helen Catalbas, director of DOT Region 6, is optimistic that all is not lost for people who rely on tourism for their livelihood.

During the joint meeting of the Regional Development Council VI and Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) on Thursday, Catalbas said she set meetings with different tourism stakeholders in the region.  – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jennifer Rendon