Acclaim

An international travel magazine has affirmed what many Filipinos have believed all along: Boracay is the world’s best island getaway.

That’s according to readers of Travel + Leisure, the New York city-based monthly luxury travel magazine produced by the publishing arm of American Express Co.

In its 2012 World’s Best Awards, the magazine picked Boracay ahead of Bali in Indonesia, Galapagos in Ecuador, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Islands, Santorini in Greece, Sicily in Italy, Vancouver Island in Canada’s British Columbia, and Hawaii’s Maui, Kauai and Big Island.

The magazine also picked Discovery Shores in Boracay as the world’s second best hotel resort and the best hotel spa in Asia. Since competition is fierce in this field, this is a major acclaim for the luxury boutique hotel, which was also awarded a Certificate of Excellence for 2012 by popular travel website TripAdvisor.

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It feels good to see the country getting international recognition. In my trips overseas I have often wondered why certain destinations are so popular among international travelers while comparable (and sometimes better) attractions in the Philippines get only a fraction of the number of visitors.

Host Willie Geist of US network NBC’s daily “Today” morning show, where Travel + Leisure editor Nilou Motamed announced this year’s World’s Best Awards last Friday, said he had never heard of Boracay.

This awareness gap should soon be narrowed, with a marketing guy currently at the helm of the Department of Tourism.

It also helps when local government officials take it upon themselves to promote the travel destinations in their jurisdictions. Consider the success of the marketing campaign of Puerto Princesa in Palawan, notably for its Subterranean River.

Palawan in fact has several other world-class destinations, such as those in Coron in the north, that can use better marketing.

Once such campaigns start bearing fruit, the destinations should be ready to handle the increased tourist traffic. Puerto Princesa is starting to look overwhelmed by the success of the Underground River. In recent days the Palawan capital has been hit by power outages, which local officials had to emphasize was not caused by the influx of tourists.

In previous years Boracay itself had to contend with water contamination problems. These days it must guard against overdevelopment. Expats who like exploring our islands tell me they prefer to stay in less developed islands such as Siquijor – popular for its witches’ lore – and Camiguin, famous for its mangoes. The expats tell me I should visit these places before the big guns of the travel industry turn the islands into theme parks.

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Even in developed destinations in our country, foreigners point out that better tourism services and infrastructure are needed.

Never mind the inadequacy of our airports and ports, which has been written about extensively. What we also need are more luxury accommodations. If we’re going to pitch our destinations as world-class, we should be prepared to meet the needs of world-class tourists alongside those of budget travelers.

We lack translators for numerous languages, and well-versed tourist guides. We lack souvenir shops; many foreigners have asked me why they need to go to shopping malls to buy good Philippine souvenirs instead of right at the tourist destinations.

We lack even first-rate tour buses, including those double-deck air-conditioned types, so comfortable for long drives in the countryside, where earphones are available at every seat for a briefing on the tour in several languages. A major player in the travel industry tried to bring in such buses but gave up after encountering too much bureaucratic red tape.

Some of the needed tourism facilities are basic. Boracay, for example, can use facilities so that visitors need not wade into the water upon arrival by boat. Several foreigners have pointed out to me that not all visitors arrive prepared to jump immediately into the water. Those who don’t like to take off their footwear may also not like to ride piggyback on men sent out for that purpose. Several visitors have ended up with their expensive footwear ruined.

Another concern of travelers is the accessibility of quality health care. The country’s best hospitals are concentrated in Metro Manila. Expats have told me that the services, including complicated surgeries, in several of these facilities are world-class, and they have seen no need to seek medical treatment in other countries. But health care becomes a problem outside Metro Manila. The country doesn’t have enough health centers, for Filipinos and foreigners alike.

Instead of more hospitals being built, we saw about a hundred private hospitals forced to shut down in recent years because of the exodus of doctors, nurses and other health professionals for jobs overseas.

The government should encourage more investments in health centers that can provide world-class response at least in emergency cases such as strokes, heart attacks, severe allergic reactions, fractures and serious injuries. In top tourist destinations, facilities must also be in place for a patient’s speedy airlift to Metro Manila.

Emergency health care can be a concern especially in destinations that are far from the nearest airstrip, such as the Ifugao Rice Terraces and Sagada.

More health centers can provide work for our jobless nurses, now estimated at 300,000, plus many more unemployed nursing aides and caregivers.

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Medical tourism is another sector that can use a boost. We will be competing with neighboring Singapore, Thailand, and giants India and China. Our edge is the natural TLC of Pinoys. If this is combined with the necessary skills and top-rate facilities, our country can position itself as a medical tourism center.

Again this can use aggressive marketing plus the support of local governments and communities.

Several countries have turned tourism into a major if not their principal industry. With our numerous natural attractions and Pinoy hospitality, we should be able to approximate their success.

Properly managed, tourism helps preserve the environment, promote culture and foster national pride. It can also create the kind of employment that will keep our people from leaving for better opportunities overseas.

Several of our destinations have been receiving international acclaim, and we should not lose the momentum.