Duterte to visit top tourist sites amid nCoV outbreak

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte is set to visit the country’s top tourist destinations beginning next week in a bid to prove that domestic travel remains safe amid the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak.

At a press conference the other night, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Duterte may visit Boracay, Cebu and Bohol next week.

She said the President met with her and representatives from the tourism industry to discuss how boosting domestic tourism may soften the impact of the nCoV scare on the industry.

“And he told us that he wants to start traveling around the country next week to show that it’s safe,” Puyat said.

She said her department will also release a video of Duterte encouraging Filipinos to travel around the country.?

Apart from Puyat, others who met with the President were Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) president Jose Clemente III, Philippine Hotel Owners Association president Arthur Lopez, Cebu Pacific president and CEO Lance Gokongwei, Philippine Airlines president Gilbert Santamaria and Air Asia Philippines majority owner Mikee Romero and its president, Ricky Isla.?

“Together, we’d like to assure the public, especially our foreign and domestic tourists, that the Philippines remains a safe destination,” Puyat said.?

Both the Department of Tourism (DOT) and stakeholders are focusing on the domestic tourist market in view of the sudden drop in foreign arrivals due to the travel ban imposed on China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan amid the nCoV outbreak.

Duterte’s order for the temporary travel ban was issued last week in a bid to contain the spread of the deadly virus, which originated in Hubei province of China.

China remains the country’s second largest source market for tourists with a total of 1.6 million arrivals in the first nine months of 2019.?

Domestic fun

As part of the shift in the focus market, Puyat said the tourism industry has agreed to offer discounts and better deals to local tourists.?

“In the coming days, the tourism sector has agreed to roll out more value-added packages, discounted accommodation and marked down prices on domestic flights,” she said.?

Clemente said the program, tentatively called “Domestic Fun” which will offer around 50 percent off published rates for local tourists, is targeted to be rolled out this week.?

“It depends on how fast we can get the rates from suppliers. We already have a lot,” Clemente said, adding that the program already has about 20 to 30 partners. ?

“Then we’re meeting with Cebu Pacific later in the week. So, hopefully by Friday (Feb. 14) or Monday (Feb. 17) at the latest, we’ll be able to roll it out,” he added.?

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that the number of domestic tourists reached 111 million in 2018, exceeding the 86-million domestic tourists target for 2022 under the National Tourism Development Plan.?

While domestic tourists figures for 2019 have yet to be released, Puyat said she expects the numbers to be even higher than the year before, given that Boracay has been reopened.

Moreover, Puyat said the DOT would intensify its marketing and promotions to markets unaffected by the nCoV global health emergency.

Tourism to lose P15 B

This month alone, the DOT projects close to P15 billion in lost revenue for the tourism industry.

DOT Undersecretary Arturo Boncato Jr. told the Senate committee on tourism yesterday that the computation of projected revenue loss was made after the temporary travel ban was imposed.

“The foregone revenue, when we stopped the flights from China, Hong Kong and Macau… What we did is to look at the growth rate of those markets in all Februaries in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

We added the compounded average growth rate on 2019’s performance and we came up with a 2020 projection,” he told the committee chaired by Sen. Nancy Binay.

He said the DOT computation was based on the national average spending of $100.60 per night and an average stay of nine nights.

“Our estimate for those markets – China, Hong Kong and Macau – for the month of February would be down to around P14.8 billion in terms of foregone revenue,” Boncato noted. “In 2018, the China market alone spent P112 billion in the Philippines.”

Binay’s committee conducted the public hearing based on Senate Resolution No. 316 meant to establish the effects of the nCoV health emergency on the tourism sector.

House hearing on tourism

Meanwhile, two committees of the House of Representatives will conduct a joint hearing today to get inputs from all concerned agencies and stakeholders with regard to the impact of nCoV on tourism.

The House committees on economic affairs headed by Rep. Sharon Garin (AAMBIS-OWA party-list) and on tourism chaired by Rep. Sol Aragones (Laguna 3rd district) will hold a joint hearing in response to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano’s directive. 

They were instructed to identify possible measures that can be adopted to mitigate the impact of nCoV on the tourism and travel industry, especially in the wake of the rising number of fatalities.

Puyat, Board of Airline Representatives chairman Genaro Velasquez, Philippines AirAsia Global Affairs head Desiree Bandal and PAA Pilot Flight Safety chief Capt. Christopher Natividad have confirmed their attendance.

Other resource persons invited were Secretaries Carlos Dominguez III (Finance), Francisco Duque III (Health), Ramon Lopez (Trade), Ernesto Pernia (National Economic ad Development Authority or NEDA director-general), Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente and Philippine Retailers Association president Rosemarie Ong.  

Earlier, Cayetano expressed the need to work with the tourism and services sector to ensure that tourism growth will not be derailed as a result of the travel restrictions amid the nCoV scare.   

Philippine Tour Operators Association (PTOA) president Cesar Cruz said that about 50 percent of reservations in Boracay, Cebu and Palawan have been cancelled due to the travel ban on China, which is the country’s second largest tourism market.      

With this development, PTOA estimates that the tourism industry has lost at least P10 billion so far.   

The NEDA said preliminary estimates indicate that the economy may lose from 0.06 percent of Gross Domestic Product or about P11 billion, up to 0.7 percent or about P133 billion, should the contagion persist inordinately.    

The Speaker said measures should be taken to soften the impact of the nCoV problem such as strengthening domestic tourism and exploring other tourism markets. 

Cayetano hopes today’s hearing will pave the way for the DOT and other tourism stakeholders to work together to develop viable solutions to lessen the impact of the nCoV outbreak on the livelihood of informal workers dependent on the tourism industry. 

Hazard pay

Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito-Castelo, an administration lawmaker, has pushed for hazard pay, insurance and other benefits for health workers who serve as frontliners in combatting the spread of nCoV.

She said that aside from doctors, nurses and other staff of hospitals are the most vulnerable to the virus because they attend to those showing signs of infection.

“They should be given extra pay and protection in recognition of the risk they face in performing their duties and responsibilities as health workers,” said Castelo, vice chair of the House committee on Metro Manila development.

“Filipino nurses are not being paid enough despite the dangers associated with their job,” she said. “How are they going to keep themselves strong and healthy if they don’t have the means to buy good food and vitamins for (boosting their body’s) resistance?” she asked.     

With weak bodies, Castelo said health workers can easily catch life-threatening diseases such as nCoV pneumonia. “If we lose them to the virus, who’s going to take care of us when we get sick?” she said. – With Delon Porcalla, Cecille Suerte Felipe

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