RP's first automated polls could be tourism attraction

It uplifts one’s spirit when you find “feel good” stories in the middle of so many bad news around us. This was how I felt after reading about the Philippines being named as “One of 25 Best New Travel Destinations in the World in 2010.” Based on the story that appeared in the National Geographic Magazine in its November 2009 Adventure issue, the country’s ancient cultures, structures and biodiversity were cited as key tourist attractions in our country.

According to this popular international magazine, the Philippines has ”as many islands as the Caribbean and some of the most spectacular reefs on the planet.” It noted that travel organizations have “finally gotten wise” in the selection of these 25 travel destinations, the Philippines included.

I read this piece of good news while I was in Cebu City over the weekend. I was there for a two-day in-house seminar for the Cebu Freeman, our partner newspaper in the so-called “Queen City of the South.” Actually, that was my second trip this year to Cebu also for a media seminar co-sponsored by The STAR and Freeman. I was there last September. And believe you me, the volume of air traffic going there remains heavy apparently all year-round.

When I flew there Thursday night, the Philippine Airlines (PAL) Airbus 300 was almost full. PAL flies nine times a day from Manila to Cebu and Cebu to Manila that starts at 4:30 a.m. to its last flight at 8 p.m. Other airlines like the Cebu Pacific, I learned, have more or less the same flight frequency to Cebu.

Noticeably, foreign tourists on board that 6 p.m. PAL flight for that day bound for Cebu were mostly Asians like Koreans and Japanese. But there were quite a number of Western travelers, too. So it’s really heartening to see such volume of foreign and local tourists that bring brisk business for Cebu alone.

This should be music to the ears of Department of Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, a home-grown son of Cebu who is in the Cabinet of President Arroyo. The other is Press Secretary Cerge Remonde. Speaking of Durano, Cebuanos were asking me about the news from Manila — specifically from Malacañang Palace — that the DOT Secretary is among those being considered as a possible vice presidential candidate of the ruling administration coalition Lakas-CMD-Kampi.

The name of Durano, who was a former Congressman from the fifth district of Cebu, is among those mentioned as probable running mate for the administration’s presidential standard-bearer, outgoing Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. Durano and Gibo are former partymates from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

Earlier, the Palace hinted that Cebu Gov.Gwen Garcia is being wooed to become Gibo’s vice presidential running mate. So Cebuanos, as I gathered while I was there, are at a loss as to the real score of who between Durano and Gov.Garcia is really running for the vice presidency.

But more than the DOT Secretary’s political future, the better part of the news in the National Geographic Magazine is the report that Wilderness Travel is organizing a trip to the Philippines in May 2010.

Coincidentally, this scheduled travel promotion to the Philippines is going to take place during the same period that we will hold our country’s first-ever automated presidential elections. Thus, perhaps the premier conduct of the May 2010 poll automation could be drummed up also as added attraction.

The travel group offers a 12-day trip to the Philippines at a cost of $3,300 per person. The trip’s attraction is to take travelers to the 5,000-feet high Cordillera Central to the deep seas of Cabilao Island in the Visayas where they can view the coral reefs. The Philippine reefs are part of the famed Coral Triangle, the world’s greatest concentration of marine biodiversity.

The group’s website www.wildernesstravel.com described the Philippines as a country, which boasts of breath-taking hiking routes through ancient rice terraces and scenic mountain landscapes, cultural encounters with the Ifugao people, and world-class snorkeling in the “Coral Triangle.”

The Wilderness Travel members are mostly travelers who got reviews of tourist spots from other members that include naturalists, authors, ecologists, archeologists, art historians, teachers and mountaineers.

The National Geographic presented the “25 brand new adventure” as a list directed at “travelers who want their dollars to do more — for others, for the planet and for themselves.” The Philippine embassy in Washington headed by Ambassador Willy Gaa is reportedly working closely with National Geographic in raising awareness on the importance of sustainable development and ecological protection as part of the country’s tourism promotion.

This came after our most traveled President spoke at the National Geographic headquarters in her visit last August in Washington where she appealed for international support for preserving, promoting and protecting biodiversity in the Coral Triangle.

It is noteworthy, however, that our embassy officials abroad, not just from DOT, are doing their share in promoting the Philippines as a prime tourist destination. All hands on deck can give the much needed boost for our tourism industry. Mrs.Arroyo need not embark on more foreign trips for the remaining eight months of her administration just to sell the Philippines abroad as a travel destination.

With the malingering global financial crisis, the tourism and travel business, along with downstream industries that depend on it like hotels and restaurants, resorts and transport services, are the hardest hit economic sectors. While still reeling from the financial crunch, the global outbreak of swine flu or AH1N1 added more woes to the travel industry.

Fortunately, our country has yet to tap the full potentials out there for Philippine tourism. So the impact of economic slowdown due to the global financial meltdown early last year did not inflict as much damage on Philippine tourism receipts. But it would be foolish to say that our country’s tourism business is getting better to weather the financial storm. More efforts must be done to pull us out from the eye of the storm.