Travel and Tourism Industry [Archive] - Page 5

kiretoce

January 19th, 2006, 05:02 PM

Travel trends to watch out for this year

Find out more about travel on Feb. 10, 11 and 12, as the 13th Travel Tour Expo (TTE), the largest trade and consumer event of the travel industry is slated at the Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City.

TTE ‘06 brings together local and international travel agencies, tour operators, airline and cruise liners, hotels, resorts, theme parks, travel product suppliers, and tourism promotion organizations in a milestone event that is the ultimate one-stop-shop for travelers.

With the theme "Travel Lifestyle: Experience the Difference!" TTE ‘06 is a venue for over 300 booths providing information and great discounts on tickets, cruises, and tour packages to various domestic and foreign destinations. Product presentations, daily raffle draws, entertainment, games, and surprises await TTE visitors. Visitor rates are at P50/day for general admission and P20/day for senior citizens.

TTE 2006 is organized by the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) as part of their 25th anniversary celebration, in cooperation with the Department of Tourism (DoT) and Philippine Airlines (PAL), and sponsored by Air Philippines and Galileo International.

"The appeal of travel is universal — an exotic destination and a chance to escape the daily grind often prove irresistible, even becoming a way of life for many people this past decade," said PTAA president Marciano Ragaza.

He added, "Perhaps it is our exposure, through media, to the outside world. Or because the world has gotten smaller because of more flights and other alternative modes of transportation. Or maybe because people have become just plain curious to see the world outside of their own.

Whether it’s a luxurious week-long jaunt in a foreign country or a short drive for a change of scenery, travel remains to be a popular activity among friends, families, and even in the workplace.

Local destinations, for instance, are constantly being developed and discovered to serve the needs of travelers. While Boracay’s white sands and vivacious nightlife, Cebu’s innate charm and Tagaytay’s ideal location and cool weather continue to lord it over the local sites, new attractions are being given attention.

The DoT’s other top tourist choices include: Laoag and Vigan, most accessible to tourists from Mainland China; the investment havens Subic and Clark (where flights to and from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur can be taken at incredibly low prices); Southern Tagalog’s hot springs, beaches and spas (distributed throughout Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, and Quezon); Palawan and Puerto Galera for diving. DoT also lists Antipolo, Donsol (Sorsogon), Iloilo, Bacolod, Bohol, Siargao, Camiguin, and Davao.

Among destinations abroad, "Singapore, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur are frequented because of low-cost carriers. So are Los Angeles and San Francisco," Ragaza said.

Religious pilgrimages and cultural tours across various points of Europe (France, Italy, Spain, and Germany) also make the list.

Malls, spas, lounges, hotels, restaurants – all these can now be found in well-developed airports. State-of-the-art technology such as wi-fi for the business traveler are also available. While the Internet has caused some business travelers to conduct dealings on-line to cut back on expenses, it has also opened up more possibilities for travelers. It allows travelers access to information on destinations, lodgings, and flight schedules. Electronic ticketing (ticketless travel), bookings and other travel transactions can also be done over the Internet.

The RORO (Roll-on-Roll-off) services are emerging as an alternative mode of travel. The network of ferry terminals and vessels provides faster, more efficient travel, and boosts inter-island commerce, trade, domestic tourism and investment opportunities.

The rise of low-cost carriers has also opened up frequent travel to neighboring Asian countries. But low-cost carriers may cause local tourism to slacken, however, as it is now cheaper to fly abroad than domestic, and foreign travel has always been a status symbol for Filipinos.

Tornado

January 19th, 2006, 05:21 PM

I don;t know , but for me security is the most important factor...
it is not a real problem for me to travel to beautiful destination... i gotta pay for ticket anyway.

well, the most basic thing of human is to be in nice and safe place...... this is also what i have studied about.

Each country has its own unique attractions.. Example , over 30 percent of the tourist to Thailand are second times or revisit travellers too.

I have seen hunderd pics of how awesome is Philippines..... really great !! i know hospitality there is super great too.... but as i mentioned... i still think that safety is the most important factor.(maybe differnt there)

after that i think infrastructure....

i want to go Baracay and nearby areas. will be there at least a week
or plus baguio... that suppose to take me not many hours ... but take me so long to get there.. right ? when I plan to travel... I will focus mainly on one spot first.. and if i have more time, i'll go the next spot(country) and if it is far i gotta fly anyway... so it is not a big deal for me.

well, air asia offer cheap flight from KL to Manila.. and my friends just flew from BKK then Kl then Manila.... because after they saw the situation in Phil is better ( saw in from SEA game) so they decided to go.

mainly that they decide to go because safety and better infrastructure so that travelling between country is not that hard anymore.

hehe it is just my opinion though..
I used to work as a tourguide ... so just what i have experience though

7000 islands of your country... definitely offer top of the top beach paradise experiences.

I just bought a book about coral and fish... from Kinokuniya
and u know that your country has the highest number of fish species that can be cound in this world.
20 000 plus

kiretoce

January 19th, 2006, 05:24 PM

7000 islands of your country... definitely offer top of the top beach paradise experieces

Without a doubt that's what the country is famous for! :okay:

rowell_sk

January 19th, 2006, 10:22 PM

^^question..those 100,000 Koreans residing in the country..where are they mostly concentrated?!...

Koreans are anywhere here in Cebu. Walang araw na hindi ako makakita ng mga koreans.

slerz

January 19th, 2006, 11:25 PM

My example is Bali Indonesia, after the 1st bombing, more and more advisories against Bali were issued but more and more tourists even flock to the island... so this just means that generally, security is a factor but the least to consider. Travellers now are smart, in their minds whenever they will go, threats are everywhere and it is already proven and they know that if a place isn't on a hot list for terrorism it doesn't mean that it is already safe. Travellers also prefer cheaper destinations for them to have more than enough visits as they can save money for another trip and more sites. Philippines isn't a hub or even near a hub coz it is located offshore mainland Asia.

stephencua

January 20th, 2006, 01:54 AM

@tornado - welcome to the philippines forum! :) thanks for your inputs..

@slerz - you're right, tourists right now are realizing that there will always be a threat wherever you go..

cHemon

January 20th, 2006, 02:39 AM

Manila-X

January 20th, 2006, 04:14 AM

The thing about Bali is, they have an airport! You can just fly directly there without stopping by Jakarta. Unlike Boracay where you have to first fly to Manila and then take another plane to Aklan and then take a boat!

Security should be a main concern. And now I hear news of four soldiers has escaped and theres another fear of coup d'etat. The coup attempts in the past are some of the aspects of tourism decline in The Philippines and with news like this, tourists would rather go to Thailand, Malaysia or even Hong Kong where it's stable. Your country had a mutiny back in 2002 and it gave a negative impression to other Asian countries.

In Thailand, they have tourist police to assist tourist, do you have the same thing in The Philippines? Also from what I know, it is a more serious offense if anyone in the country commits a crime against a tourist than a local!

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 04:48 AM

^^ Only in the Philippines. :lol:

Manila-X

January 20th, 2006, 05:04 AM

^^ Only in the Philippines. :lol:

But it's still not good for your country! Saw it on the news this morning! Anyway, I have some friends to teach at Hong Kong International School where it's highschool have interims where they go to different countries around Asia. They didn't include The Philippines on the list because of fear of kidnappings!

cHemon

January 20th, 2006, 05:05 AM

The thing about Bali is, they have an airport! You can just fly directly there without stopping by Jakarta. Unlike Boracay where you have to first fly to Manila and then take another plane to Aklan and then take a boat! !

So why have to focus only on Boracay.
I believe that Boracay is not the only one beauty of the Philippines.

There are millions way to deal with it. It just takes a lot of time (and money).

If you look at Phi Phi island as an example, it's the same as Boracay. It's just a tiny island without an airport.

Instead of promoting just only one tiny island, they should promote a group of islands and boost an island that has the most potential to be a center hub with international airport, infrastructure, accomodation and everything that the tourist need. Same as Thailand's Andaman region (Phuket and nearby province and all the remote islands surrounding it.)

In Thailand, they have tourist police to assist tourist, do you have the same thing in The Philippines? Also from what I know, it is a more serious offense if anyone in the country commits a crime against a tourist than a local!

Hmmm... this is quite true.

In thailand, who commits a serious crime against a tourist is considered the one who destroy our reputation as a safe place and will be punished harder than normal.

Horton murderes get death sentence
Posted on Wednesday, 18 January 2006, 13: 54 GMT

The two Thai fishermen who confessed to have raped and murdered British backpacker Katherine Horton were sentenced to death a few hours ago today for the rape and murder. As we reoprted etralier, Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra publicly demand the maximum penalty, because the crime was harmful for Thailands international image.
Bualoi Posit, 23, and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24, pleaded guilty to the New Year's Day slaying of Katherine Horton, a 21-year-old student from Wales. She was attacked while walking on a beach at an island resort and talking to her mother on her cell phone. Her mother told police she heard her daughter scream before the line went dead. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had made an unusual public appeal for the killers to receive the "hardest punishment" possible, saying the slaying had hurt the country's image and could damage its tourist industry. Thai courts usually reduce death sentences to life in prison or less in cases where defendants plead guilty. (Source: Associated Press, through Yahoo! news)

cHemon

January 20th, 2006, 05:08 AM

Maybe it's because Thai people's mind that want to please tourtist as best as we can.
Tsunami case as an example, foreign tourists got hospitl bed while local Thais waited outside.

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 05:13 AM

^^ Isn't that a form of inferiority complex? I mean it should be first come, first serve basis.

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 05:15 AM

But it's still not good for your country! Saw it on the news this morning! Anyway, I have some friends to teach at Hong Kong International School where it's highschool have interims where they go to different countries around Asia. They didn't include The Philippines on the list because of fear of kidnappings!

Yeah, how come Israel still have a lot of visitors from other countries even more than the Philippines considering that they are always on high alert? How bout exploding busses or cars that can run past you anytime?

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 05:23 AM

So why have to focus only on Boracay.
I believe that Boracay is not the only one beauty of the Philippines.

There are millions way to deal with it. It just takes a lot of time (and money).

If you look at Phi Phi island as an example, it's the same as Boracay. It's just a tiny island without an airport.

Instead of promoting just only one tiny island, they should promote a group of islands and boost an island that has the most potential to be a center hub with international airport, infrastructure, accomodation and everything that the tourist need. Same as Thailand's Andaman region (Phuket and nearby province and all the remote islands surrounding it.)

Hmmm... this is quite true.

In thailand, who commits a serious crime against a tourist is considered the one who destroy our reputation as a safe place and will be punished harder than normal.

Yeupz Chemon, there are many, you can go to Cebu city, which is more famous than Boracay :), Surigao Island, Palawan, Panglao Island in Bohol, and Iloilo/ Guimaras island and Davao city. If you want cooler climes, you can go climb to Baguio city or go see Sagada caves and Banaue Rice Terraces in Mountain Province. Subic is also worth a visit as well.

Since Philippines was a Spanish colony before, you can go see the old sections of Manila and Vigan city where the Spanish/Western architechture can still be seen. :)

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 05:37 AM

So if you think that geographical location is the main obstacle of Philippines tourism, Philippines should look at Bali and learn from them how they can achieve eventhough Bali is not connected to the mainland asia.

:)

Bali is facing Australia... Even before Bali became a tourist destination there are several Australians hop to Bali specially those from Darwin. Australians promoted Bali to the world, not that Bali gave 100% effort to promote their island. I'm not saying that the Philippines should learn from Bali but the Philippines should double or triple their effort.

@Wanch,
You know, tourists nowadays already knows about terroristic activities, about that news articles like what you are saying now with that escapes. If it's the security concern, tourist arrivals in the Philippines wouldn't have risen last year. 2005 is a year of chaos in the Philippines and if it's about security concern, tourist arrivals in the Philippines would have dropped but it has exceeded the target rate so this just means that through promotion and giving explanations, infos and knowledge about how when and where they can spend vacation in the Philippines in connection with their budget is a reason that the Philippines gained last year.

Before, I really think that security is the main concern why tourists avoid a particular destination but as what I've observed, it's the other way around... it's really their budget that matters and they always think on how they can travel across several destinations that fits their budget. Security threat is not in their minds specially those from northern Asia, Europe and US. But SEA travellers are the one that are very conciuos about security concerns coz if they travel, they always think of themselves, they always want to settle and dine in a well known hotel and restrants, they avoid dirts indicating that SEAsian travellers are less satisfied with their vacation than Europeans and East Asians coz European and East Asian travellers are mostly adventurers in a sense, it's ok for them to sleep in a small simple room and eat street foods, they don't mind about dirts and greases that might stick on their clothes (karamihan nga ng mga puti as what I've observed ay mlalakas ang putok:D, gwapo daw tingnan sa malayo pero pag nasa malapit na iba na ang amoy LoL) coz they give more attention and focus to the sites and sounds of a place.

Tornado

January 20th, 2006, 05:44 AM

:) Well htis is really good thread. many threads of Pinoy are focusing on development, critical issues.. which is great... we can learn so much thing from that.

My example is Bali Indonesia, after the 1st bombing, more and more advisories against Bali were issued but more and more tourists even flock to the island... so this just means that generally, security is a factor but the least to consider. Travellers now are smart, in their minds whenever they will go, threats are everywhere and it is already proven and they know that if a place isn't on a hot list for terrorism it doesn't mean that it is already safe. Travellers also prefer cheaper destinations for them to have more than enough visits as they can save money for another trip and more sites. Philippines isn't a hub or even near a hub coz it is located offshore mainland Asia.

Last Updated: Monday, 3 October 2005, 09:37 GMT 10:37 UK

E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Another blow to fragile Bali tourism
By Tim Johnston
BBC News, Bali

There is now a heavy security presence in Bali
Two days after suicide bombers struck Indonesia's Bali, its people are still reeling from the blow.

Few can believe that the "Island of the Gods" has been attacked again.

Three years ago this month Bali suffered a similar attack, which killed more than 200 people.

Many believe the recovery this time around will take much longer and be much harder.

"I feel I am dead, I have no chance anymore in Bali looking for a job," said Agus, a 35-year-old tour guide originally from neighbouring East Java.

"I'm sure in the next few years, I must go back to Java to look for a job, because I can't stay here: I can't survive."

Click here for a graph of Bali tourism trends
Tourists are divided in their response. A number have already left, some on evacuation flights laid on by Australia and Singapore.

Staying on

Ms Gommers was speaking outside a Starbucks cafe, near the site of the Kuta Square bombing.

She said she had been reassured by the increased security since the bomb attack.

"I was in the shopping centre, and when I arrived the police searched my bag, and it was the same for everyone. I think it's safe," she said.

Inside the cafe, the effects of the bomb were also being keenly felt.

"Business is very, very bad," said Wayan, the manager.

In the immediate aftermath of the October 2002 bombing, hotel bookings fell by 80%, flights arrived and left empty, and shop owners put their staff on half pay.

It has taken three years of hard work to convince tourists to come back to the island - hard work that was undone in an instant on Saturday night.

The struggle out of the trough following the first bombing sapped a lot of the island's economic resilience, and it remains to be seen how much stamina is left to cope with the aftermath of these new attacks.

Two days after the bombs, the hotels are still relatively full, but people are cancelling their holidays and the next few months are critical.

WEll ,
this situation is not differrent from Phuket, After Tsunami.. YEs the situation is getting better but it is still not as good as before Tsunami.. Hotel price decrease sharply and less tourist to the area. they start to move to somewhere else such as Ko Samui which is in another side of the coast.
these unsafe factors are effected directly to the arrival tourists to the country. Bird Flu , Tusnami.. At first time , TAT expected 15 million arrival tourist in 2006 but the forecast figure has been changed two times to be only 13.86 million these all because of security issue. yes tourist keep coming but the growth of tourism won't increase.. or maybe decrease... but people need job more and more everyyear too. yes, if this industry that equal almost 10 percent of thailand Gdp is slow down that's mean more people are lsing their job too.

we all know that threat are everywhere.. that's why people will chosse to go safer place.

The question is..
if Geographical is an issue... what can help then.. yes infrastructure..
for example, Australia far apart even more than Philippines , and it is not cheap to go.

Yes at least infrastructures like airline and airport also play significant factor.
airline won't fly to unsafe destination.. basically cuz no people want to die before retiring.

this theory apllies to Phuket as well that after Tsunami most of direct flight from HK , Korea , Russia and Europe had been cancelled.

Hk is a great example.. what makes this place to be in the world stage. A tiny island... but superb infrastructure , stable gov , safe destination lures over 20 million tourist a year.

another question is how could Philippine benefit from its fab resources ?

Can we move our country to better location? .. isn't it ?
that's why we all have to learn how could the country benefit from tourism development.

human resouces are also the most important thing haha but it is too hard to talk in one page.

well , good to be here though

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 05:46 AM

Yeah, how come Israel still have a lot of visitors from other countries even more than the Philippines considering that they are always on high alert? How bout exploding busses or cars that can run past you anytime?

It is because Israel can easily be reached by land with less gastos. Tourists now adays are braver than before. Tourists nowadays are smarter than before. They already know the consequences that they can encounter in travelling. They're not bully about the threats of terrorists. It is only us here in South East Asia that are bully about threats of terrorism.

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 05:57 AM

^^ Not only that Slerz, many Americans go there as well. :)

Tornado

January 20th, 2006, 05:57 AM

the reason why australia promote Bali to the world maybe because they have got something special ????
apply to same theory to Singapore , Malaysia....

yes Government plays the very important role to boost the economy.. by tourism too

SEA is not the only region that scare of those threat.. Japan is one of the most sensitive... and all the region becasue we all want be in the safe place..
some might be braver than others but how about most of the people.

will rich people risk themselves in the risky area ? yeah there are some but how many ? not much

many people don't mind paying more to get better service.. so cheap destination is not always the answer that's why many countries are focsing on highend tourists or family traveller that look for shopping , activities for their kids.

tigidig14

January 20th, 2006, 06:00 AM

But it's still not good for your country! Saw it on the news this morning! Anyway, I have some friends to teach at Hong Kong International School where it's highschool have interims where they go to different countries around Asia. They didn't include The Philippines on the list because of fear of kidnappings!
hindi natin sila masisisi, tayo nga pag umuuwi. sinasabi satin wag kang mag mukhang luho, madudukot ka lang. so mentality narin kasi ng ating mga kababayan na sabihin ang baho natin :no:

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 06:02 AM

The question is..
if Geographical is an issue... what can help then.. yes infrastructure..
for example, Australia far apart even more than Philippines , and it is not cheap to go.

Australia and HongKong are already an established tourist destination as in GIANT and world renound my friend, Philippines is a different story. Ifras is also the top reason but security is the least reason. ;)

Yup, Bali several days after the first boming tourists declined but after a year, what happened? Australians again flock to Bali, lotsa Austies :D

Tsunami has nothing to do with security, it's an excuse factor and if tourists in Phuket have declined after the tragedy, it's nothing to do with Thailands effort in their tourism industry, it's natural that no one can blame so for me I won't be afraid to go to Phuket :okay:... :)

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 06:03 AM

^^ Surigao Islands near Surigao city were discovered by the Americans and Australians because of the surfing waves. Surigao city is developing and there are already locals and tourists alike are coming. It has more potential than Boracay. You can go visit this thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=236129

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 06:06 AM

But it's still not good for your country! Saw it on the news this morning! Anyway, I have some friends to teach at Hong Kong International School where it's highschool have interims where they go to different countries around Asia. They didn't include The Philippines on the list because of fear of kidnappings!

well, they are exceptional tourists... but I'm sure they included Bali in their list.. right?

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 06:08 AM

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 06:24 AM

Finally slerz, the Cebu banner is up in North America!! wee!!

Manila-X

January 20th, 2006, 06:28 AM

From what I know, alot of HKIS' interim programs are mostly in Thailand, Malaysia and the mainland. There was a recent one for The Philippines which was scuba diving in Boracay :)

Israel's tourism is like The Philippines itself with most of its tourists are Jewish abroad especially those from The United States.

Anyway, I would put security as a major concern and after that, promotion!

cHemon

January 20th, 2006, 06:35 AM

for me, I think PROMOTION, INFRASTRUCTURE and SAFETY all go together.

No country succeeds in this business if it lack of just one of these facters.

:)

Manila-X

January 20th, 2006, 06:52 AM

for me, I think PROMOTION, INFRASTRUCTURE and SAFETY all go together.

No country succeeds in this business if it lack of just one of these facters.

:)

Very true! Anyway, lets see how The Philippines will fare for 2006 :)

Hawayano

January 20th, 2006, 06:56 AM

Finally slerz, the Cebu banner is up in North America!! wee!!

Aw shucks! Here in Hawaii I'm looking at Singapore's banner--what happened?

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 06:59 AM

Oh yeah thats right, America is divided into different time zones.

Hawayano

January 20th, 2006, 07:04 AM

Oh yeah thats right, America is divided into different time zones.

Okay, so I hope to see Cebu at the top of this page in a few hours, then?

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 07:11 AM

Yeupz, its a really nice banner. It shows the bridge mixing with the scrapers in cebu.

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 07:13 AM

for me, I think PROMOTION, INFRASTRUCTURE and SAFETY all go together.

No country succeeds in this business if it lack of just one of these facters.

:)

and I think Cebu only lacks infra... So more infras in Cebu to come, more tourists would come :)

and the banner proves it... :D

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 07:15 AM

Aw shucks! Here in Hawaii I'm looking at Singapore's banner--what happened?

I think the banner now is better than the banner there which is still yesterday..hehe. jowk

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 07:16 AM

Okay, so I hope to see Cebu at the top of this page in a few hours, then?

and tell me you assesment sir when you see the banner...;)

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 07:17 AM

^^ Your banner is wack!! :jk: :lol:

cHemon

January 20th, 2006, 07:18 AM

for me, I think PROMOTION, INFRASTRUCTURE and SAFETY all go together.

No country succeeds in this business if it lack of just one of these facters.

:)

Oh and one more thing I want to add, ATTRACTION, both natural and man-made.

If natural beauty is not enough to attract tourists to reach target number, some man-made attraction will help drawing more tourists.

In Thailand, Night Safari was recently opened in Chiang Mai and many other projects are underway. It's called "Chiang Mai World".

Hawayano

January 20th, 2006, 07:19 AM

I think the banner now is better than the banner there which is still yesterday..hehe. jowk

No, kidding, slerz! Being so close to the "other side" of the International Dateline, Honolulu is like the last place on the planet to get anything! Okay, I'll be patient and look forward to our "tomorrow morning" (which you've already passed by now!) Aloha!
:)

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 07:19 AM

wacky salud is now together with manny pacquiao :lol:

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 07:21 AM

No, kidding, slerz! Being so close to the "other side" of the International Dateline, Honolulu is like the last place on the planet to get anything! Okay, I'll be patient and look forward to our "tomorrow morning" (which you've already passed by now!) Aloha!
:)

don't be patient, just change the date of your pc to Jan 20... and there you can see the banner :)... anyway, it's only simple and a plain picture so nothin special ;)... askal is just jowkin on you...hhe

Hawayano

January 20th, 2006, 07:25 AM

don't be patient, just change the date of your pc to Jan 20... and there you can see the banner :)... anyway, it's only simple and a plain picture so nothin special ;)... askal is just jowkin on you...hhe

Hey--I never thought of THAT! Lemme go try...

Hawayano

January 20th, 2006, 07:28 AM

Hey--I never thought of THAT! Lemme go try...

Hey! Pretty cool, slerz!! It really worked--and now I can see the close-up of the Marcelo Fernan bridge, as well as the Marriott where we stayed back in 1998--matahum kaayo! (did I just mix two dialects??)

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 07:30 AM

Oh and one more thing I want to add, ATTRACTION, both natural and man-made.

If natural beauty is not enough to attract tourists to reach target number, some man-made attraction will help drawing more tourists.

In Thailand, Night Safari was recently opened in Chiang Mai and many other projects are underway. It's called "Chiang Mai World".

I think Philippines should emphasize more on its natural and historical setting. Philippines, in my opinion should emphasize more on its natural side because the country itself is one of the most bio diverse in the world. I would like Philippines to have more national parks to attract not only tourists but to preserve nature as well. Leave the amusement parks and attractions to other countries in Asia. However, Philippines needed more infrastructures to accomodate the growing number of tourist arrivals in the country. :)

Manila-X

January 20th, 2006, 07:30 AM

Oh and one more thing I want to add, ATTRACTION, both natural and man-made.

If natural beauty is not enough to attract tourists to reach target number, some man-made attraction will help drawing more tourists.

In Thailand, Night Safari was recently opened in Chiang Mai and many other projects are underway. It's called "Chiang Mai World".

The Philippines have alot of that, even more than HK but HK gets more tourists! Even without Disneyland, HK still is a top drawer in Asia!

But I agree that Philippines should promote it's natural settings especially it's beaches!

Anyway, some of us are going off-topic here!

amras

January 20th, 2006, 07:49 AM

actually I dont mind that the Philippines is receiving lower number of tourist compared to our Asian neighbors, considering that we are yet to lay out world class infrastructures as well as comprehensive and sustainable development programs for most of our present and potential tourist spots. I dont want to see these place deteriorate and be abused through too much commercialism (look at Boracay) without sustaining their charm and beauty.

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 07:49 AM

I would like Philippine tourism to be like this instead:

Loboc river:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c363/flashlight_/bDSCF0234.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c363/flashlight_/bDSCF0250.jpg

Burnham Park in Baguio:

http://www.kriyayoga.com/philippines/baguio/burnham_park.jpg

Palawan:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c60/Askal82/3palawan.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c60/Askal82/2palawan.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c60/Askal82/1palawan.jpg

Surigao:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y215/jafhoy/Suhoton2.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y215/jafhoy/Suhoton.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y215/jafhoy/Sohuton4.jpg

If you want European/Mediterranean atmosphere:

Intramuros (Manila):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/rv_estardo/1530592-Intramuros-Manila.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/rv_estardo/1812390-Intramuros-Manila.jpg

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Manila-X

January 20th, 2006, 08:04 AM

amras

January 20th, 2006, 08:07 AM

well it's just my opinion... in this competitive world, sustainability is also important.

cHemon

January 20th, 2006, 08:08 AM

I think Philippines should emphasize more on its natural and historical setting. Philippines, in my opinion should emphasize more on its natural side because the country itself is one of the most bio diverse in the world. I would like Philippines to have more national parks to attract not only tourists but to preserve nature as well. Leave the amusement parks and attractions to other countries in Asia. However, Philippines needed more infrastructures to accomodate the growing number of tourist arrivals in the country. :)

Yes! emphasize more on its natural beauties. Why? because it's free!!
Countries in SEA that have beautiful scenery all emphasize on it, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia.

But should they ignore the development in other man-made attractions? I don't think so.
If you want to attract very large number of tourists, like 10 millions plus, is only beach and mountain enough?? again I don't think so.

There're always rooms to build those things. And it won't hurt to have it, right?

Zoo, Night Safari, Amusment park, Cultural theme park with Las Vegas-style show (eg. Phuket Fantasea), unique and elegant museums,... etc.

I think to have these things gave the tourist atmosphere to the visitors.
It give more choices to the tourists.

:)

amras

January 20th, 2006, 08:29 AM

yes they are free, but some are far better and greater than the others, that's where the difference is.

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 08:34 AM

Well, Im not saying Im against man-made structures but I would like them to be less than the natural ones. I would like each country to be known in its own right. For example, Thailand is known for its top-notch resorts, cuisine and culture, Indonesia for its history and culture, Malaysia and Singapore for its modern skyscrapers and hopefully Philippines for its biodiversity. The world will see us that each country in the SEA have its own specialty when it comes to tourism. :)

slerz

January 20th, 2006, 08:45 AM

The truth is that the Philippines is far behind among its neighbors when we speak of tourism... FOR NOW! ;)

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 08:48 AM

Well, we can't deny that fact. Philippines needed to have a direction in tourism and should learn from its neighbors.

cHemon

January 20th, 2006, 08:57 AM

cHemon

January 20th, 2006, 09:05 AM

ATTRACTION: The Philippines has plenty of it esp. natural one.
INFRASTRUCTURE and ACCOMODATION: The Philippines need to improve alo on this aspect.
SAFETY: I'm not sure about it. But the Philippines has some bad images that need to be fixed.
PROMOTION: For now, don't put too much effort on this when the Philippines is still not ready. Let it spread from mouth to mouth. (just my opinion)

bustero

January 20th, 2006, 09:17 AM

hmmm quite a busy little thread indeed. Let's all hope for a banner year for tourism in the Philippines and ASEAN.

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 09:27 AM

OK I agree on that.

How about a world-class botanical garden? or Biology museum?

It can be as expansive as national parks with hotels, trails and tours like here in the midwestern US like Yellowstone, Alaska, Grand Canyon and others. Mountain hiking and trekking because Philppines is very mountainous. Dolphins and whale sight seeing. Don't you know that we have whale sharks swimming on our waters too? We also have wild rivers too that you can have white water rafting. Like you said botanical gardens with collection of many species of insects, plants and flowers in a vast area of land isn't a bad idea. Develop more diving spots and other activities that creates intereaction between people and nature.

Askal82

January 20th, 2006, 09:39 AM

Okay, gotta be out. very sleepy here. Nice to meet you Chemon. It had been nice to exchange thoughts with you about tourism issues between our countries. I hope I can visit Thailand someday (my landlord is Thai and I hope I can go with him over there before I head back to Philippines) :)

sista

January 20th, 2006, 12:57 PM

I love the discussion here lol

shadow_can2003

January 20th, 2006, 03:37 PM

The Goverment (DOT) and the Private Sector should work together in promoting our country. We have a lot of Natural Attraction as beautiful as those in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, and Vietnam. The Goverment should puts adds to BBC, CNN, DISCOVERY, to International Business Magazine as what our neigboring countries doing to promote their country.

kiretoce

January 20th, 2006, 03:40 PM

^^ The problem with that is where to get the money to pay for the ads on these broadcast networks and magazines.

shadow_can2003

January 20th, 2006, 03:40 PM

Cebu is the most promising destination in the Philppines. So sad CEBU doesnt have enough infrastructure.

shadow_can2003

January 20th, 2006, 03:43 PM

^^ The problem with that is where to get the money to pay for the ads on these broadcast networks and magazines.

If the goverment wants tourist to come here in our country, then they have to do something, well the one above is just one options. There still lots of options.

shadow_can2003

January 20th, 2006, 03:46 PM

In SouthEast Asia

1. Malaysia
2. Thailand
3. Singapore
4. Indonesia
5. Vietnam
6. Philippines--poor 6th :grrr:

shadow_can2003

January 20th, 2006, 03:49 PM

kiretoce

January 20th, 2006, 04:00 PM

If the goverment wants tourist to come here in our country, then they have to do something, well the one above is just one options. There still lots of options.

I think (and believe it as well) that the best and the cheapest promo tool is "word-of-mouth."

shadow_can2003

January 20th, 2006, 04:06 PM

I think (and believe it as well) that the best and the cheapest promo tool is "word-of-mouth."

Thsts right, thats why its important to give a tourist the best it deserved when they here in the country.

Hopefully this year we can attract 3 million tourist.

shadow_can2003

January 20th, 2006, 04:07 PM

Any news regarding the tourism forum in Davao City? Thanx

rowell_sk

January 20th, 2006, 06:46 PM

Exec vows to meet 5 million tourists target by 2010

TOURISM Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano is optimistic to deliver the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan target of five million tourist arrivals by 2010.

In a press briefing at the NCCC Mall Davao, Durano reported that tourist arrivals last year reached 2.6 million, posting a 13.5 percent increase over a year ago figure of 2.29 million.

"My Sinulog". Post your Sinulog experience here

The performance was on track to reach the targeted five million mark by 2010, noted Durano.

He admitted though that the country for the moment has yet to develop the capacity to accommodate tourist arrivals beyond three million.

The private sector however poured last year huge investment for capacity expansion, adding 2,000 more new rooms by 2007 particularly in popular destinations in Cebu, Bohol, Boracay, and Palawan, said Durano.

In bringing the targeted number of tourists, the Department of Tourism is applying demand creation as part of its strategic measures, focusing on particular countries where the Philippines has stable markets.

The Philippines is set to focus its tourism promotions in China, Japan, Korea and the United States, particularly tapping the Filipino-American market.

It is also eyeing to tap India and will continue to actively promote the county in United Kingdom and Germany.

Durano cited Japan, Korea, and greater China as staple markets, which make up 57 percent of foreign tourist arrivals last year.

He attributed to "proximity" factor the country's cornering of a huge number of tourists from the countries.

"We are the closest tropical destination," he said.

Durano has positioned the Philippines as a general leisure and sports destination, banking on "staple" markets in which the country has leverage on proximity.

Noting that sports particularly golf forms a major part of these markets, Durano called on the Golf Association of the Philippines to come up with tourist-friendly policies.

He considered it a challenge for the Philippines to push golf tourism because golf courses here were established without looking at tourism as a potential market.

rowell_sk

January 20th, 2006, 06:49 PM

RP focuses tourism on general leisure

UNLIKE Singapore's big push for its Mice (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) sector industry, the Philippines believes that it is better off investing money in general leisure.

In a press conference Thursday of the Philippine Tourism delegation with the foreign and local media at the Asean Tourism Forum, Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano explained the reason why the Philippines would not follow the tourism trend called Mice.

"My principle is that strategy should be dictated by the situation," he said.

Durano explained the Philippine tourism sector has become so focused on one specific goal, which is demand creation.

"It has focused promotion in priority source markets like China, Japan, Korea and USA or American-Filipinos. Instead of having a function-based office, I turned it into a marketing-based one," he said.

Durano disclosed that after conducting an intensive study on demand creation, it was also learned that tourism in the Philippines could very well thrive if it focuses on general leisure.

"We are more competitive on such sector like golfing, scuba diving, etc. But of course, Mice is still part of our medium," Durano said.

Singapore, on the other hand, during its presentation of its tourism updates claimed focus on Mice like its effort of hosting about 200 conferences and exhibitions.

It has also developed infrastructure and capabilities like the expansion of the Singapore Expo.

Singapore has also proven its worth on the Mice sector by winning awards like Top Business City in Asia by Time magazine, Best BT Mice City by TTG Travel Awards 2005, Top Convention City in Asia and Second Top Convention City in the World by the International Congress and Convention Association.

Although Philippines claimed that it seemed not ready yet to follow such trend, it is, however, doubling its efforts in expanding the capacity like making more rooms for travelers, construction of new facilities, and upgrading of airports.

Tornado

January 20th, 2006, 07:15 PM

In SouthEast Asia

1. Malaysia
2. Thailand
3. Singapore
4. Indonesia
5. Vietnam
6. Philippines--poor 6th :grrr:
'

the number of tourist to malaysia has come up unbelievably because the number that the government count is also from the singaporean that cross the border almost everyday... thounsands a day.
many tourist arriving Singapore also just cross the border to JaHor bahru a few hours and back to Singapore that's why the number is so high up.
but if u count as international arrival and also earning from tourist.. thailand still rank the top
that's why Lonely planet and most of travel handbook guide still say Thailand lure more tourists than any country in SEA.
well... Pinoy land.... i'm sure... not so long.... will be in the top cuz its natural resources just amazing

in real life... as u can notice when u get to thailand and Malaysia.. u will see how crazy ... just forienger everywhere...

sometimes... i miss the old time.. quiet.. like Philippines..
my favourite island in the south of thailand like Tarutao are crowded now... after lonely planet put in on the fromt page of Lp Thailand 2006

example... over using of natural resources have ruined the beaut og the beach and coral reefs......

that's why Pinoy land is the last frontier of Asia.......

richard fischer

January 20th, 2006, 08:32 PM

[QUOTE=slerz]The truth is that the Philippines is far behind among its neighbors when we speak of tourism...

true slerz,
but
that can change drastically in the near future. with someone like mr. durano and his intelligent tourism programme all signs seem to be on green&go.
most important though : infrastructure&safety. develope clusters like coron islands, siargao, bohol&panglao, cebu and all around boracay (romblon and north panay). these places should have international airports with long runways for 747 charters to fly in (i.e. the maledives) from all over the world. have local airlines venture in the hotel&resort business like in thailand. build big hotels for cheap accomodation like in mexico (east coast) at north panay, close to kalibo and iloilo airports, resorts in exclusive places for upper class, in coron/palawan, waste treatment around these clusters, good roads connecting the islands with bridges and fast crafts. to be able to push through with such an ambitious plan you need drastic political support and investment incentives for foreign and local money-makers to pour in tons of billions of $. set up ecozones for tourism oriented facilities in these clusters. make local airlines PAL, 2P, CEB, AS, Seair understand that there is no threat to opening direct flights to these clusters. encourage them to offer their own venture-flights in cooperation with airlines from and to china, korea, japan, europe, usa. open up your doors to everyone. capital comes from capitalism. where ever there is money to be made, there is a venture waiting to be started. it´s a matter of incentives and government garanteed programmes. otherwise i do not see 5 million tourists comming into the country within the next 4 years, that´s more than double than 05 statistics !

Espma

January 21st, 2006, 04:35 AM

slerz

January 21st, 2006, 07:11 AM

richard fischer

January 21st, 2006, 09:11 AM

^^on the contrary...last years tourist arrivals exceeded the target of 2.5 million (2.6 was the total) This years target of 3 million is totally achievable and on track....
2004 = 2.2 million
2005 = 2.6 million..(target was 2.5)

Its totally possible that the 5 million target will be achieved earlier than 2010...

With the world becoming increasingly aware of its deteriorating environment, the booming ecotourism will be the fuel for tourism growth in the Philippines.

lets hope it will triger the proposed expansion as planned. i´d love to see a cebu pacific 747 and an asian spirit 380 and PAL flying lots of them soon !
(check thread airlines and airports)

LordCarnal

January 21st, 2006, 10:12 AM

@Richard

Is it really feasible to build international airports on every destination here in the Philippines even if such would be at close promixity to another one?

Espma

January 21st, 2006, 02:02 PM

richard fischer

January 21st, 2006, 03:19 PM

@Richard

Is it really feasible to build international airports on every destination here in the Philippines even if such would be at close promixity to another one?

no, not really. you are right. i don´t think it is a good idea to build an intern. airport in panglao, when you have cebu close. but how about coron. there are hundreds of islands to be developed there. the next airport is puerto princesa. far away by fast craft or roads. enlarge the one in el nido (close to coron, isn´t it?) and use fast crafts made in the philippines to traverse and distribute incomming tourists among the islands. finish butuan (650 mill. expansion programme) airport for bigger aircraft and you distribute again by fastcraft (new port planned) to siargao and all those islands. cebu takes care of bohol, samar, leyte. the new iloilo airport should be connected by fast-track railway (similar to north rail on luzon that connects clark to manila) to caticlan and again fast crafts pick up pax to boracay and romblon/tablas (to be developed) and surrounding islands. that makes sence. and you´ve connected the important tourist destinations to the rest of the world. people who fly a long way, don´t want to keep changing planes all the time. just skip manila and fly directly to the islands, you have to change to fast craft and taxi or jeepney anyway before you arrive. just keep in mind, that the less you waste on traveling time, the stressless you arrive at your destination, and save time&money too. thats what atourist wants when he goes on a vacation further than 10,000 kms away from his home.

richard fischer

January 21st, 2006, 03:23 PM

^^..any country in the world can build international airports..BUT not all can build big and up to international standard Seaports...I dunno, International Airports should be limited I reckon..With over 7,000 islands, the Philippines should be building huge international SEAPORTS!!! HOW COME THE PHILIPPINES' BYPASSED by world cruising lines??!! I mean compared to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand...even VIETNAM!!

good idea espma,
build the butuan ports, transfer cebu´s new port to mactan. roro ports everywhere in fact is being implemented quite quickly right now in the philippines. but there definately is a need for cruise ships to dock in philippine harbours. most of them bypass this beauty of a country due to lack of infrastructure and bad imaging abroad.

Askal82

January 21st, 2006, 08:05 PM

^^ Agree. With over 7000 islands, Seaports should be built more than the airports. Leave the international airports to big cities.

rowell_sk

January 21st, 2006, 10:08 PM

moreover, filipinos prefer ships than planes when they travel from island to island.

le Reine

January 22nd, 2006, 06:50 AM

Guys, do you have the statistics about tourist arrivals and tourist spending in the Philippines in the last 5 yrs? And also the same stat in other ASEAN countries? Where could I look for these? Please help me. I really need it for my report.

KulasKusgan

January 22nd, 2006, 12:15 PM

Sunday, January 22, 2006
Singapore vows another successful ATF in '07
By Barbara Carla R. Quiero

THE Asean Toursim Forum (ATF) in Davao City ended Friday night and Davao City turned over the hosting of the forum next year to its next host, Singapore.

During the turn-over ceremony at the Venue, the City Government handed over a "budyong" to Singapore officials, symbolizing the value of partnership.

In behalf of Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, Vice Mayor Luis C. Bonguyan and Department of Tourism Undersecretary Oscar P. Palabyab handed the bodyung to the Singapore Tourism Board, represented by its international relations senior head Bonie Tong.

"Some good things never last and so the most unforgettable ATF in Davao City must come to a close," said Bonguyan at the start of his message.

Meanwhile, Tong said the next ATF, which will be hosted by Singapore, will be held January 26-February 3, 2007.

"We really hope to show everybody a very unique experience when they come to Singapore, the dragon city," Tong said in an interview.

Tong said the Singapore Tourism Department will still have to plan and work on the hosting of the forum.

According to Tong, she hopes that what Davao City and the Philippines achieved in the hosting of the ATF will also be accomplished by her country.

"This is a show of partnership among Asean countries, we work together as one destination and we look forward to promoting Asean as a single destination that more visitors would visit the region," she said.

Tong said she welcomes everybody in Singapore during the ATF.

She also said that after experiencing Davao City, she will include the city in her list of tourist destinations.

"I think now that so many people experienced Davao, the hospitality, the sites, the different things to do, there will be more people visiting Davao," she said.

Tong said one of her favorite places in Davao is the Pearl Farm Resort and the Island Garden City of Samal.

"We we really enjoyed the Davao hospitality and all the hard work and everything they've put in for the success of the forum," she stressed.

KulasKusgan

January 22nd, 2006, 12:19 PM

January 21, 2006 13:48 PM
Asean To Launch Single Travel Bookings Via Internet

MANILA, Jan 21 (Bernama) -- Asean tourism ministers have agreed to launch this March an internet-based portal integrating all bookings for travel within the 10-member regional grouping.

The move highlighted the just-concluded nine-day Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) attended by the region's tourism ministers in Davao city, Philippines Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said.

In their joint statement, the ministers called for a "faster" integration of Asean's travel and tourism sectors to spur the promotion of Asean as a single destination.

They noted that the launch of the portal, which would serve as a platform to market the region's diverse tourism products and services, would speed up the integration process.

ATF organisers had tapped Zartmann Touristik Systeme (ZTS), a German company that runs information systems for online travel bookings, to undertake the portal project.

"As soon as the portal goes live in March this year, bookings will be carried out in real time online, just at the click of the mouse," said Klaus Lengefeld, ZTS sales manager international.

The portal, to be known as visitASEAN.travel, will feature all member hotels, airlines and tour operators of the Asean Travel Association (ASEANTA).

Instead of searching through a maze of hotel websites for accommodation information, travel agents around the world could simply log on to the portal to find and compare rates of hotels, airlines and tour operators.

The portal, to be completed in April, will be powered by e-PriNz, a system that provides linkages to several web travel portals around the world as well as bank settlement process.

The ministers also called for the establishment of Asean Tourism Centres in major international markets such as United States and Europe and within the region itself "to move forward the joint promotion of Asean as a single destination."

They cited the "importance of working together with a strong sense of common purpose."

They also agreed to ask the Asean Secretariat to study more effective strategies, programmes and mechanisms to push the growth of the region's travel and tourism sectors.

Despite natural calamities and terrorist threats, the region remained resilient in attracting tourists last year which rose 4.7 per cent to 44 million, year-on-year.

Asean ministers likewise committed to continue working for a visa-free intra-regional travel, establishment of a single visa for non-Asean tourists and more direct flights among member countries.

-- BERNAMA

KulasKusgan

January 22nd, 2006, 12:34 PM

http://www.atfdavao.com/images/OpeningCeremonies.jpg

http://www.atfdavao.com/images/Ministers.jpg

Foreigners laud RP hosting of ASEAN Tourism Forum

DAVAO CITY — The nine-day 25th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in this city ended yesterday with delegates and members of the foreign media who covered the major tourism event here expressing praises for host Philippines.

Ted Davis of the Canadian TravelPress, who was surprised at the staging of the travel exchange at the NCCC mall, said "this is the first time for me to see much of the ATF events being held in a vast retail establishment, particularly the holding of press conference by a national tourism organization," Davis said.

Davis added that he was amazed at how Christians, Muslims, and other various ethnic groups co-exist peacefully in Davao City despite their differences, not only in religion but also in culture, language and tradition.

"This diversity is amazing and wonderful. The services were great, especially at the media center," Davis added.

Christina Liadis of the China Travel Service, a China and Hongkong- based travel firm with 20 branches that include those in Europe, Southeast Asia, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, also extolled Davao’s hosting of the event.

Liadis expressed delight at how she was welcomed and assisted upon arrival at the airport and to her hotel in Davao City and all the way down to every event during the nine-day ATF here.

"The ATF’s opening ceremony was fantastic," Liadis said, referring to the stage performance of more than 500 dancers, singers and musicians, who showcased the city’s rich and diverse culture in songs and dances.

The colorful and spectacular performance was held at the Central Bank Convention Center and the adjacent The Venue to formally kick-off the ATF here, which Liadis said was superbly conducted by the Philippine Host Committee and the Davao City Host Council.

"Everything went on smoothly and I also had a wonderful time at the Malagos Garden Resort, the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City and the Paradise Resort in the Island Garden City of Samal," she added.

Her views were echoed by Singaporean Jonathan Chia of the Panoly Resort Boracay, citing ATF 2006 as well-organized, fully attended and productive. "It’s good to bring the international buyers and media here so they’ll know that Davao City is peaceful and safe, contrary to impression created by negative travel advisories," Chia pointed out.

The ATF included a travel exchange for one-on- one meetings and other business activities between exhibitors/sellers and buyers of tour packages and travel services all over the world. "ATF’s Travex has attracted buyers who are the top sellers in their respective countries, and this means good business for our Boracay operations," Chia said,

tigidig14

January 22nd, 2006, 08:14 PM

i didnt know this is happening until kris ask one of the question :D

stephencua

January 23rd, 2006, 05:25 AM

taken from philstar.com..

A breath of fresh air
BIZLINKS By Rey Gamboa
The Philippine Star 01/23/2006

Amid all the political and social turmoil that jolted us for the most part of last year, the tourism industry was one of the few sources of pride and good news.

Of course, ours cannot yet compare with the billion-dollar tourism industry of Thailand, but with the growing number in tourist arrivals coupled with the relentless overseas marketing initiatives, the industry is fast making a dent, albeit, still a minor one, on the global tourism market.

Tourism promotion campaigns conducted in emerging but promising and lucrative markets such as China and even Russia have solidly boosted the viability of the local tourism industry.

In the China mission alone, records will show that there is a steady and significant increase in the number of mainland Chinese tourists. In addition, several innovative tourism-related programs such as the English and Second Language tourism program have likewise brightened up and made the local tourism industry more exciting.

Hence, as early as October, tourist arrivals had breached the two million mark, a feat that, with sustained government and private sector support, would definitely soar in the coming years. There are a few things, though, that need priority attention if the potential of this sector is to be optimized.
Airports, airports, airports
There is a growing list of disgusted, disappointed travelers who have to endure departure and arrival procedures in a rotting relic that is the Manila Domestic Terminal.

Boracay, Palawan and Bohol may be heavenly, paradise-like destinations, but before reaching these places, tourists have to pass through the Manila Domestic Terminal, considered a "hell hole" when compared with the more modern domestic terminals of our neighboring countries.

Of course, those who are flying Philippine Airlines (PAL) are spared these agonies and frustrations. Talk about level-playing field competition.
Operate naia iii
There is a way out of this embarrassing domestic travel situation. Operate and open the NAIA Terminal III for business and the revenues it will generate be held in escrow in the meantime until the legal disputes are settled once and for all. The existing NAIA I can then be converted to a Domestic Terminal. Then many more travelers would be happy other than those forced to take PAL to avoid the current "hell hole" domestic terminal.
Gordon’s promises
Paging Sen. Dick Gordon. I recall during the 2004 elections, Gordon – who headed the Tourism department prior to seeking a Senate seat – vowed to champion the cause of tourism in the legislative branch.

Gordon, in his news releases, stated that he would enact measures that would lead to the modernization or construction of airports in key tourist destinations in his bid to create even more jobs through this promising industry. Here’s hoping Gordon fulfills his promise to be the tourism industry’s knight in shining armor in the Senate.
Going after China and Russia
A few years after setting up a tourism promotion office in Beijing, China, the Tourism department last year trained their sights on yet another erstwhile underdeveloped and non-traditional tourist market – Russia.

With an estimated six million outbound tourists spending some $4 billion each year, the Russia project looms as yet another promising tourism goldmine – like the China experience.

Only around 1,500 Russians were issued tourist visas by the Philippine embassy in Moscow during the year, way below the 60,000 who opted to spend their holidays in South East Asian tourism giant Thailand.

But our tourism officials are confident that the numbers will rise. And if plans don’t get disrupted, the tourism department may be aggressively tapping other non-traditional markets this year, such as the Middle East or India.

Encouraging numbers and statistics kept coming out in terms of tourist arrivals. The tourism department figures reveal that as of the end of October 2005, tourist arrivals reached 2.1 million or just half a million shy of the 2005 target of 2.6 million. The figure for the first 10 months of last year was 13.6 percent higher than figures for the same period in 2004.

And with the usual expected Christmas travelers – both balikbayan and foreigners – coming in, Tourism Secretary Durano has every reason to beam with confidence that the 2.6 million target can be achieved, if not surpassed.

Other key markets with marked increase in October 2005 arrivals versus October 2004 arrivals were Korea, from 29,445 to 42,044; Japan, from 28,646 to 32,748 and the United States, from 36,232 to 39,781.
Supporting a culture of tourism
In addition, I also mentioned in a previous piece that the World Tourism Organization has lauded the tourism promotion efforts of the Philippines and vowed to help. The WTO technical cooperation division said it will extend assistance to the DOT in identifying and exploring other potential markets in Europe such as Spain, Germany, France, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

The tourism potential of the country can be realized if the Filipino people continue nurturing a culture of tourism. Let me reiterate that it is every Filipino’s role to boost our tourism industry by taking care not only of the tourist attractions in one’s vicinity, but making sure that the tourists that visit them are made to feel welcome, comfortable and safe. Let’s treat them right, lest others will – and pocket the income that would have been ours.

Of course, a no-nonsense, integrated government support must also be in place. Conducting more promotions programs in potential big markets – including fixing our airports and other tourism related projects – are required steps in the right direction this 2006.

rustyboi

January 23rd, 2006, 06:56 AM

^^on the contrary...last years tourist arrivals exceeded the target of 2.5 million (2.6 was the total) This years target of 3 million is totally achievable and on track....
2004 = 2.2 million
2005 = 2.6 million..(target was 2.5)

Its totally possible that the 5 million target will be achieved earlier than 2010...

With the world becoming increasingly aware of its deteriorating environment, the booming ecotourism will be the fuel for tourism growth in the Philippines.

a recent article says The Philippines can only provide 3 Million hotel and resort rooms a year. man, our country needs to work harder in improving tourism facilities. as far as i know, Cebu and Boracay are doing their part in addressing the hotel room shortages. :D

Manila-X

January 23rd, 2006, 07:22 AM

Don't you just hate it that when you read tour books on South East Asia, it's usually the Philippines on the last page!

jbkayaker12

January 23rd, 2006, 07:50 AM

We all know about tourism infrastructure in the Philippines which is next to nothing, I just want to add tourism brochures/books/materials are pretty much non existent outside of the Philippines. If you go to a bookstore here in the United States, all other countries have an extensive line of travel/table books. The Philippines need to at least publish books for the overseas market regarding travel in our country for it to be known or if it wants to attract travellers.
Same thing with the travel agency here in the United States, the Philippines lack travel brochures for it to be effectively sold as a destination, not only travel brohures but more importantly travel packages.

Well, anyway I bought all of my travel books in the Philippines.
http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/palawan/books.jpg

slerz

January 23rd, 2006, 09:27 AM

Don't you just hate it that when you read tour books on South East Asia, it's usually the Philippines on the last page!

Me, I don't... coz I focus on the positive things for my country and if the Philippines is on the last page, there is still tomorrow though to climb up step by step ;)
It's just a matter of accepting and contentment... contented in a sense that there is still an upbeat trend that this country, my country is showing, slow nga but it is going there. The Philippines has more than half of great things happening so still my coutry is great :okay:

_zner_

January 23rd, 2006, 11:03 AM

our tourism proj is not that good... although you can see the effort, but still, it is no good...

slerz

January 23rd, 2006, 11:07 AM

infairness to Sec Durano, He is doing much as he could for our tourism industry...

normandb

January 23rd, 2006, 11:30 AM

Me, I don't... coz I focus on the positive things for my country and if the Philippines is on the last page, there is still tomorrow though to climb up step by step ;)
It's just a matter of accepting and contentment... contented in a sense that there is still an upbeat trend that this country, my country is showing, slow nga but it is going there. The Philippines has more than half of great things happening so still my coutry is great :okay:

thats the filipino spirit. :rock:

KulasKusgan

January 23rd, 2006, 12:11 PM

i think aside from infra, we need to give emphasis on filipino culture like cultural shows that would highlight the "asian side" of filipino. most of the time we give much importance on western arts and pop culture which i think are not so attractive to visitors. we need to show something unique, something filipino. best example is thailand and indonesia.

slerz

January 24th, 2006, 10:45 AM

Tuesday, January 24, 2006
RP tourism Growing
The Mindanao Daily Mirror, Philippines - 1 hour ago

The aggressive promotional campaign and the shift to focused destinations made Philippine tourism grow an annual growth rate of six percent on the average which is at par with world and regional growth rate.
Department of Tourism (DOT) secretary Ace Durano who updated the press covering the Asean Tourism Forum 2006 in Davao City on Philippine tourism said the country now enjoys a record-breaking volume of tourist arrivals.

He attributed the sustained growth to visitors’ volume from Japan and Korea even as he said that Korea had overtaken Japan as the second source market with average double digit growth of 30 percent on a monthly basis. Japan has grown steadily at single digit level.

He also said that tourists from China overshoot its target volume last September 2005 with 150 percent growth.

Russia, he said. posted significant growth on the 10th month last year with 180 percent which recorded a double figure compared to the volume registered in previous years.

He said the chartered flights both from China and Russia contributed to the increase that were extensively recorded in 2005.

Durano also attributed the continuing growth on tourist arrivals to key measures applied by the government.

He said tourism investment has been given strong attention to cope with limited supply and among these are the 22 tourism projects worth P3.89 billion endorsed by DOT to various government agencies for grant of incentives and clearances.

There are also ongoing construction of additional rooms and renovation in the different areas where tourist sites are located.

The national government, Durano said has prioritized infrastructure support to tourism development that includes upgrading of airports.

Under the DOTC’s program are the ongoing improvement of Busuanga Aiport in Northern Palawan, the P500 million funds raised to enhance the Mactan International Airport in Cebu, the NAIA terminal being spruced up to its opening, and the Kuwaiti Group to construct world class passenger terminal at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

Durano said the tourism highway given attention by the Department of Public Works and Highways helps facilitate tourist mobility and access to major destinations and attractions.

Also contributing to the success are foreign airlines seeking partnership with the Philippines like Air India which is expected to partner with the Philippine Airlines. Likewise PAL resumes flights to Beijing and open new routes to Nagoya while Asianta Airlines inaugurated direct flight to Cebu.

The low cost airlines that began operation in Clark as well as the increased charter flights recorded in major hubs are also a notable contribution to the success and continuing growth of tourist arrivals in the country. PIA/pdbanzon

_zner_

January 24th, 2006, 11:40 AM

^^ i hope naia3 gets open by the end of march!!

normandb

January 24th, 2006, 11:49 AM

^^ i hope naia3 gets open by the end of march!!

march of what year?

_zner_

January 24th, 2006, 11:54 AM

^^ 2006 of course.. :D

Skyblade

January 24th, 2006, 12:05 PM

^^ 2006 of course.. :D
You sure it isn't 3006? ;)

richard fischer

January 24th, 2006, 08:06 PM

didn´t i just state these islands as very future oriented for tourism ? please read :

The amazing Coron Islands
CORON, Palawan — By God’s grace, Coron is anointed with vast tourist potentials, both land and underwater resources. It ranks among the best in the country’s potential tourism playgrounds that merit the support for full development from the government led by Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Coron can be transformed into a key player in largely improving the status of Philippine tourism. In a place, which potentials can surpass that of our neighbors, particularly Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam in attracting foreign visitors, Coron shall be in its rightful place in the global tourism map in the coming years.

Some of the rare places not found in other tourism-inspired regions are the fantastic and legendary lagoons which are wide, deep and with very clear water, interestingly nestled in one huge and rocky island popularly known as the Coron Islands. Encircled by giant walls of limestone cliffs, this jewel of a mountain, boarders the beautiful and wide Coron harbor, where more wonders of nature abide.

Yet unknown to many, this big Coron Island is decorated with numerous caves, which are home to a rare Philippine bird whose nest (balinsasayaw) is a rare expensive popular Chinese delicacy (nido soup).

The seven lagoons found in the area are, the Hall of Famer Cayangan, Barracuda, Tanigue, Twin lagoon, Abuyok and other inner bodies of water, which are only 15 minutes apart from each other. For more island hopping and fun, Coron offers the enchanting 219 islands and islets, with white sandy beaches, dreamy water fronts which will amaze visitors no end. A perfect place for island hopping, beach sports and swimming and a picnic galore for the entire family and guests.

So far, preference of island hoppers stay with the beautiful Sangat Islands CYC beach, Banul, Cabugao, Debatoc, Diwaran, Kalibunan, Lagat, Tara and the developed Maricaban, Dimakya, Malcapuya, Banana, and Maleroyroy, all with wide stretch of sandy beaches.

Meanwhile, for scuba diving enthusiasts, Coron offers the world-renowned dive sites, located at the narrow passages of Sangat, Gutob, and Black Islands. The main attractions are the 26 sunken Japanese Naval vessels. As recorded in history, during the last few months of World War II, 26 Japanese warships were crossing the Calamianes waters in their final retreat to Japan as the Japanese Imperial forces were already losing the war. They were spotted by US Naval bombers and made the Coron waters and its vicinity their final resting place. Today these sites has been attracting thousands of divers the whole year round. Florida in the US even tried to replicate this tourist attraction by intentionally sinking some old vessels for a dive site.

To the delight of the elderly, Coron is also offering the popular Makinit Hot Spring Resort located in the wide entrance of Coron harbor. It has wide pools with soothing hot salt water to treat some tired muscles and heal other diseases like arthritis which had affected a number of people.

Yet for the agile, an ideal spot for mountain climbing and hiking is the Mount Tapyas. A priceless gift of Palawan Governor Joel Reyes to Coron with more than 2,000 feet above sea level, some 719 concrete steps lead to the top. With ample stop-over areas while ascending, the majestic holy cross rests on top. Catch the full view of Coron town and harbor, one of the finest bays in the country.

Still included in the long list of Coron’s rich natural resources is the Los Siete Pecados (Seven Rock Islands). When fully developed, its unique features shall contribute to the success of the Coron Tourism Program. Part of the master plan is the construction of hanging bridges to interconnect the seven rock islands, complete with diving boards, stairways, floating rest houses and slides. This is the only tourist development with this description in the whole Asia.

The tourism activities in Coron offer an array of business opportunities. From lodges to hotels. From seminar rooms to convention centers. In the proper time, be a witness to the unfolding of bigger events in the area which is now a priority site for tourism development by the government. Even the indigenous people of Coron (Tagbanuas) will benefit from the program.

Indeed rare and valuable natural resources seem to converge in the islands of Coron. Palawan Wonder Tours takes travelers there on a Friday evening and back on a Monday morning by Superferry or via Seair or Asian Spirit.

kiretoce

January 24th, 2006, 08:46 PM

^^ Nice find Richard! Hope the development of these islands are in check and keep the surrounding environment as natural as possible.

richard fischer

January 25th, 2006, 07:43 AM

^^ Nice find Richard! Hope the development of these islands are in check and keep the surrounding environment as natural as possible.

yes, i hope so too kiretoce. these islands are the most beautiful islands i have seen so far. i recall working for DOT, PTTA and PAL in 1992. they flew me in there from germany to shoot the beauty of the place. i stayed at el nido. what a fantastic environment. hopefully it still is and will stay clean and ecologically safe for comming generations.

and then they could develope siargao islands. they seem to be just as nice.

jun_of

January 25th, 2006, 08:39 AM

I was in London last weekend and saw this, sorry, 'medyo madilim ang kuha...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pcafa50024b6bff1a4363d4cc17d292e9/f06ead5b.jpg

Skyblade

January 25th, 2006, 12:14 PM

Great! We finally have and SSCer that spotted one of those cabs! :D

Anyhow, here's something that would seem nice on the lines of regional cooperation...:okay:

Malaysia Keen to Help Boost Philippine Tourist Sector
Link to the article (http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060125/4/2enmw.html)
DAVAO CITY, Jan 25 Asia Pulse - Malaysia, a success story in ASEAN tourism, has pledged support to the Philippine tourism sector.

"It's something that we're happy to do," said Datuk Dr. Victor Wee, secretary general of Malaysia's Ministry of Tourism, in a media briefing during the recent ASEAN Tourism Forum here.

Wee said they could give advice on their tourism activities and policies as well as their promotions and marketing strategies that have been vital in their increasing tourist arrivals at present.

Malaysia is one of the most visited countries in South East Asia, with tourist arrivals reaching 12.2 million as of September 2005.

Wee said Malaysia has also been receiving delegations from other countries which are interested in learning their much-heralded tourism promotion program.

"North Korea and Vietnam visited us last year to learn about our successful tourism program. We want to also share it to the Philippines," Wee said.
ADVERTISEMENT

He added that if Davao City would ask their help, they are prepared and very glad to do so, saying they were charmed by the city's beauty in their stay here during the nine-day ASEAN Tourism Forum.

"The hospitality of Davao is so phenomenal we would be happy to assist. After all, Davao is part of Mindanao which is a part of BIMP-EAGA (Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area)," Wee said.

He said Davao is still kept as secret, with people not knowing that the situation here is pleasant, different from what is being portrayed by negative travel advisories.

"Davao should be made more accessible to tourists, including putting in place more activities that would entice more visitors to come and see the place," Wee said.

(PNA)

kiretoce

January 25th, 2006, 03:42 PM

I was in London last weekend and saw this, sorry, 'medyo madilim ang kuha...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pcafa50024b6bff1a4363d4cc17d292e9/f06ead5b.jpg

Great find! :master: Were there just a few of these roaming the city, or are there a fleet of them? :dunno:

jun_of

January 25th, 2006, 05:50 PM

I heard there's 50 of them displaying the wow philippines ad. I was there for 5 days but I only saw this one.

sandrin

January 25th, 2006, 06:59 PM

nice cab.....you beat wecky

Edmundtanso

January 25th, 2006, 09:30 PM

i hope thay would finish the rail system from clark to manila soon so clark would actually a long term sucess and not just temporary

drfeelgood17

January 26th, 2006, 01:54 AM

I was in London last weekend and saw this, sorry, 'medyo madilim ang kuha...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pcafa50024b6bff1a4363d4cc17d292e9/f06ead5b.jpg

I live in London and didn't even see this = more power to the RP i suppose! :)

drfeelgood17

January 26th, 2006, 01:56 AM

our tourism proj is not that good... although you can see the effort, but still, it is no good...

I agree we could do more to promote our tourism, just like Malaysia and Thailand.

stephencua

January 26th, 2006, 04:45 AM

taken from abscbn-news.com.. tsk tsk.. couldnt they get some other celebrity personality as the tourism envoy?? i dont like this guy..

Wille Revillame named tourism envoy

Television host and comedian Willie Revillame was named Wednesday as celebrity ambassador for tourism in recognition for his efforts in making his ABS-CBN show a tourist attraction.

The formal appointment for Revillame, host of the noontime game show "Wowowee", was held during the 2006 Grand Pinoy Homecoming held at the Department of Tourism (DoT) office in Manila.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said Revillame will be featured in a range of promotions aimed at enticing Filipinos abroad and foreigners to visit the country. The TV host will also be tapped to host Philippine tourism roadshows abroad.

Durano said Revillame's program, which is shown abroad via the The Filipino Channel, has been an effective instrument in reaching the tourist market.

Manila-X

January 26th, 2006, 05:24 AM

BTW, what's the number of Hong Kong tourists visiting the Philippines?

Askal82

January 26th, 2006, 05:25 AM

Ewww!

Lili

January 26th, 2006, 06:54 AM

OtAkAw

January 26th, 2006, 07:23 AM

I hate Willi Revillame, Duranop made a hideous mistake!

stephencua

January 26th, 2006, 08:07 AM

im glad you agree with me that he isnt the right person to be appointed to this post.. first black eye that sec. durano did for me..

dancethingy

January 26th, 2006, 10:12 AM

Who is Willi?

ishtefh_03

January 26th, 2006, 10:27 AM

Who is Willi?

ung sa wowowee ata... willi revillame??

_zner_

January 26th, 2006, 10:28 AM

i like those cabs.. :D

jbkayaker12

January 26th, 2006, 11:50 AM

Hahaahahaha Willie Revillame! Hahaha!!

heathcliff

January 26th, 2006, 11:51 AM

our tourism proj is not that good... although you can see the effort, but still, it is no good...

Perhaps we ourselves could promote Philippine tourism by telling our friends and acquaintances of our beautiful nature spots, etc.

I agree, the effort is there but more needs to be done.

_zner_

January 26th, 2006, 12:04 PM

^^ good effort but still it is a small amount though... the best way is to promote it by magazines(intl) and adversting it to cable channels...

sista

January 26th, 2006, 02:11 PM

Willie Reviliame? it must be the end of the world....

normandb

January 26th, 2006, 02:31 PM

Willie Reviliame? it must be the end of the world....

Ok na yan kaysa naman si Joey De Leon pa ang kunin ni Durano.

xXx carlos xXx

January 26th, 2006, 04:56 PM

Ok na yan kaysa naman si Joey De Leon pa ang kunin ni Durano.

agree.... marami naman talaga ang mga balikbayan at foreigner sa show niya.... nagbbgay pa cla ng dollars!

amigo32

January 26th, 2006, 05:27 PM

Sana Willy Nep na lang. Kaya ayokong manood ng wowoweee dahil kay wily!

rowell_sk

January 26th, 2006, 10:05 PM

World tourism forecasted to grow 4/5% in 2006

The Madrid-based United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO, expects world tourism, as measured by international arrivals, to grow by between 4 and 5% in 2006. In 2005 world tourism rose 5.5% to 808 million international arrivals from 766 million in 2004.
?For 2006 the current pattern of gradually slowing growth is expected to continue?, with growth projected to be around one percentage point lower than in 2005 but still somewhat above the forecast long-term annual growth rate of 4.1%.

This outlook is supported by the continued good shape of the world economy in most parts of the world and the improved prospects for the Eurozone economies, in particular its most important source market Germany, says UNWTO Secretary-General, Francesco Frangialli commented "The tourism sector has gained substantially in resilience over the past years. In spite of the turbulent environment we live in nowadays, destinations worldwide added some 100 million international arrivals between 2002 and 2005."

?Although 2005 was certainly a tumultuous year, international tourism has hared amazingly well. Despite various terrorist attacks and natural disaster, such as the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami and an extraordinary long and strong hurricane season, the recovery, which started in 2004, continued firmly through 2005?.

In the Americas growth reached 6% with North America (4%) and the Caribbean (5%) slightly below the regional average. Of the major destinations, the United States continued the recovery started in 2004 (8% Jan-Sep), while Mexico (8% Jan-Nov) and Cuba (13% Jan-Nov) still showed above-average increases, even after having suffered the impact of last year?s devastating hurricanes.

Destinations in Central America (14%) and South America (13%), on the other hand, can look back on a very positive year. The strongest growth was reported by Venezuela (23%) and Colombia (22%), while Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all recorded, or were on their way to record, growth rates of between 10 -20%.

Africa led the way in tourism growth with an estimated 10%. Growth in Asia and the Pacific averaged 7%, following the exceptional post-SARS rebound in 2004 (27%). North-East Asia (10%) emerged as the most dynamic sub-region with the strongest performers being Taiwan (15% Jan-Oct), China (13% Jan-Nov) and Japan (9% Jan-Nov). In South-East Asia (4%), Oceania (4%) and South Asia (4%), results overall were more modest and above all rather mixed. Among the countries affected by the December 2004 tsunami tragedy, the Maldives reported a 39% decrease up to November although the rate of decline has eased in the last months. Arrivals to Indonesia were down by nearly 9%, as the country suffered also from the October Bali bombing. Sri Lanka reported only a slight 0.4% drop, although this result may in part be attributed to the large number of Sri Lankan expatriates who visited the country in the aftermath of the tsunami and to the flow of aid workers. As for Thailand, although overall data up to June shows a 6% decline, arrivals at the Bangkok airport registered 4% growth in the period through October.

Europe recorded relatively modest growth of 4%, which is still one percentage point above the long-term trend of the region. This result can be considered very encouraging given the rather weak economy in some of its major intra-regional source markets. Moreover, due to Europe's already very large base of over 400 million arrivals, in absolute terms it recorded the largest increase corresponding to some 18 million arrivals. Growth was strongest in Northern Europe (7%), boosted by the United Kingdom (10% Jan-Nov), which was seemingly not notably affected by the London bomb attacks.

As to 2006, three major uncertainties remain for 2006 explains UNWTO. First, it is likely that terrorism will continue to be present. However, experience shows that its impact lately has been rather limited and short-lived. Travellers overall have assumed the risk and have been undeterred by external threats. Secondly, rising energy prices, inflation and interest rates might finally change the economic scenario. This has not been much of a problem until now, as the price hike has mostly been an expression of the strong economic growth and the corresponding demand for energy. Should this situation continue and affect economic growth in Asia, the tourism industry could start feeling the impact.

Finally, the further spread of avian flu could be a serious threat for the tourism sector. Avian flu has been present in the world for several years now and it is currently limited to birds and isolated cases of people living in very close contact with infected animals. As yet no transmission of the virus between humans has been detected and it is hard to say whether, when and where such a mutation will occur. For the moment there is no reason to change travel plans as long as recommendations issued by national and local health and veterinary authorities are respected.

Espma

January 27th, 2006, 02:16 AM

Tourism businesses grew 20% ? DoT
Manila Standard
1/27/2006 3:00:08 AM
Roderick T. dela Cruz

Businesses related to tourism grew by 20 percent year-on-year in 2005, on the back of a double-digit increase in foreign visitor arrivals last year, according to Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano.

“Tourism industry players reported a 20 percent growth last year as tourist arrivals hit 2.6 million in 2005. These businesses include travel agencies, tour operators, hotels, resorts and other accommodation facilities, and those involved in such areas as transportation and retail,” he said.
Durano said that with the increase in tourist arrivals, large investments were made in accommodation and resort development last year in anticipation of rising demand.

“For the past year alone, some P2 billion worth of hotels were put up in different parts of the country. This was the highest level of investment for accommodation since 1997,” he said.

Data from the DOT’s Office of Planning and Promotions showed that foreign and local investors began putting large capital in accommodation in 2004 when tourist arrivals peaked to 2.3 million. Tourist arrivals were estimated to have reached 2.6 million in 2005 and are seen to further climb to 3 million by 2006.

Among the largest tourism investments over the past few years were the P2.5 billion put up by the Goldland Philippines Corp. for Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa in Lapu-Lapu City; P414 million by Five Power Venture Corp. for Park Lane International Hotel in Cebu City; and P100 million by Costsabella Corp. for Costsabella Tropical Beach Hotel in Lapu-Lapu City.

Outside Central Visayas, which is now the focus of intensive tourism promotion, other large accommodation investments were the P268 million put up by Starland Properties Inc. for Subic Bay Holiday Villas; and the P124 million by Masibis Land Inc. for Masibis Resort and Hotel in Albay.
Preliminary data actually showed that apart from projects that have been completed or are under way, new tourism investments endorsed by the DoT to the Board of Investments for fiscal incentives grew by tenfold in 2005. Many of these new projects are expected to start construction this year.
Durano also noted that large real estate developers like Ayala Land Inc ( ALI [ 10.50 ], news, chart, profile ) . and Landco Pacific Corp., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Corp ( MPC [ 0.35 ], news, chart, profile ) ., have expressed plans to engage in large leisure developments that would help boost tourism in the country.

Moreover, a French investor is helping develop a new resort complex in Panglao Island in Bohol province, which is expected to begin construction in February, he said. Durano said the new investments in tourism-related facilities and the expected increase in tourist arrivals would generate thousands of new jobs for Filipinos and help reduce the country’s burgeoning unemployment problem.

sista

January 27th, 2006, 12:56 PM

Ok na yan kaysa naman si Joey De Leon pa ang kunin ni Durano.

I guess you're right hehehehhe :)

slerz

January 28th, 2006, 03:40 PM

Kung TV host comedian, siya nalang coz of his show... kahit para sa akin di siya marunong mag salita pero mas nakakamagnet talaga siya ng mga Pinoys abroad. Di ko gusto ang tao pero kung mas nakaka tulong siya kaysa sa iba, ok na para sa akin... :okay:

Kung si Joey de Leon? Sus, puro lang siguro gurang ang mahahatak niya...
Ogie and M v? wala masyadong exposure ang mga shows nila sa aboroad eh pero ang show ni wawawee malaki kase ang exposure sa ibat ibang bansa.

xXx carlos xXx

January 28th, 2006, 05:32 PM

^^ agree!

KulasKusgan

January 28th, 2006, 07:43 PM

Taipans put in P5B to get 5M tourists in 5 years
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the January 29, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE country’s taipans are at the forefront of a business offensive aimed at hitting the private sector’s “singko-singko” goal and propelling Philippine tourism to its golden age.

Their “5-5-5-5-5” target simply means: To invest $5 billion to bring in 5 million tourists that would generate $5 billion in revenues and 5 million jobs in 5 years.

Marketing whiz Samie Lim said the country’s billionaires were buying new planes and ships, erecting new malls and hotels, and building word-class resorts and casinos, confident that tourism would be the next big thing in the Philippine economy.

“We’re happy that the taipans have bought into our 5-A strategy—arrival, access, accommodations, attractions and activities—by spending money in these specific areas needed to bring in the tourists,’’ said Lim, the vice president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).

Taipan Lucio Tan is leading the pack with the $814 million refleeting program of Philippine Airlines and is spending a few billion pesos more to mark his entry into the shopping mall business (his Allied Bank has foreclosed on the Ever Gotesco properties).

Retail king Henry Sy’s gigantic P7 billion Mall of Asia off Manila Bay is being positioned as a major tourist destination not only for its world-class shopping facilities but also for its terminal that will have ferries carrying tourists to sites along the coast line.

“Next to our beaches, tourists come to the Philippines for shopping,’’ said Lim, explaining the importance of shopping malls in their strategy.

Flush with cash from a stock offering last year, Sy is also building Hamilo Cove, a 5,200-hectare seaside property in Nasugbu, Batangas, as his flagship business in tourism and leisure.

Taipan John Gokongwei is pouring in $670 million to refleet Cebu Pacific, in tandem with the expansion of his hotel empire (Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza).

Metrobank’s George Ty has quietly moved in with an initial P500 million investment in the heart of Philippine tourism, Cebu.

Through the family’s property arm, Federal Land Inc., Ty will reopen the shuttered Cebu Plaza Hotel in partnership with the Marco Polo hotel chain. Federal Land is keeping its options open as it might consider building more hotels to meet the acute shortage of rooms to accommodate the surge in tourist arrivals.

But to achieve the 5-5-5-5-5 goal, Lim said the country would need more than the taipans’ money.

“We’re getting interest from other businessmen wanting to put their money in budget hotels, budget airlines, tourism transport services and toilet facilities because they see the taipans leading the way,’’ Lim said.

5 gateways

For example, Lim said, the Philippines would join its Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) neighbors in establishing a budget hotel chain charging only $25 a night.

In contrast to the government’s plodding and cluttered tourist promotion program in the past years, the private sector-led BizTour 5 program is clear-cut and results-driven.

Instead of promoting the entire Philippines, the BizTour program has identified only five international gateways—Laoag, Manila, Subic-Clark, Cebu and Davao—where all investments in infrastructure, accommodations and attractions would be built or enhanced.

Security a top concern

“Tourists should be able to get to their destinations within an hour or two after stepping off the plane or boat,’’ Lim said.

Aside from ensuring that investments were focused in key areas for maximum results, Lim said that this would also ensure that the government would have enough resources to maintain peace and security, a major concern of tourists.

Lim said the 5-million tourists target in 2010—double the expected 2.5 million tourists last year—“might look big but this is actually modest compared to other countries.’

Left behind

The World Tourism Council reported that a total of 800 million people travel every year, spending $1.7 trillion in fares, accommodations, food and shopping.

Until 2004, Lim said the Philippines had never broken through the 2-million tourists mark in 25 years, during which time neighbors like Malaysia (15 million) and Vietnam (3 million) surpassed the country.

“Even the small Phuket island in Thailand has more tourists (2.5 million) than us,’’ Lim said.

Philippine tourism is fast gathering momentum with the Department of Tourism expecting arrivals to hit 2.6 million in 2005.

Aggressive Northerners

“We commend the government for its role in bringing in more tourists here, especially from Korea and China. The private sector’s role is to ensure that they stay here longer and come back with more of their relatives and friends,’’ Lim said.

Aside from spending P700 million for tourism promotion, Lim said the government also spent P35 billion in the last two years to build new airports and seaports and modernize existing facilities to make tourist spots more accessible to foreign visitors.

Lim said that while Cebu was way ahead of any region in terms of tourism development, Northern Luzon was the most aggressive in turning itself into a tourist mecca under the leadership of the governors of the Ilocos provinces, Pangasinan and La Union.

God’s gift

“There are now more flights to Laoag than Cebu, with big groups of casino players, mostly from China, flying in,’’ Lim said.

But of all the tourist gateways, Lim said Subic-Clark still had the most potential because of its huge land bank and strategic location.

Ultimately, Lim said, tourism would make up 15 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

“We may not be competitive in other industries but God gave our country natural beauty and we should use it properly to our advantage,’’ he said.

xXx carlos xXx

January 28th, 2006, 08:24 PM

^^ nice... i hope it'll push thru ;)

jbkayaker12

January 29th, 2006, 05:15 AM

I believe in the capabilities of these Taipans more than the Philippine government and I wish them the best!!

LordCarnal

January 29th, 2006, 06:11 AM

edit

shadow_can2003

January 29th, 2006, 02:27 PM

I watced ANC this afternoon and they talk about Philippine Tourism, i was shocked when they said that Phucket outnumbered Metro Manila in having 4 to 5 star hotel.

JAMAICUS

January 29th, 2006, 03:12 PM

New resort opened at Subic Bay
THE former US naval base, the Subic Bay Freeport industrial zone in Zambales province, is being transformed into a premiere tourism destination with the recent opening of a US$4.3 million development project, the Grand Island Resort.
Grand Island boasts of a two-hectare seawater lagoon, whitesand beaches, 20 quadruplex chalets along the beachfront, a new five-star hotel, historical sites, and forests. Owners of Grande Island also invested
about US$2.8 million for the purchase of two air-conditioned 250-seater ferry yachts to transport guests to and from the island and enjoy a cruise around the pristine waters of Subic Bay.

To date, the company has a total investment of US$7.1 million. Philippine Tourism Authority general manager Mr Robert Dean Barbers said that Grande Island and Subic Freeport as a whole would be included among the top destinations in the country being marketed by the government through the various Philippine tourism offices abroad.

Philippines carving its own Mt Rushmore
TOURISM groups will be building a monument of busts of the country's Ilocano presidents at Mt Caniaw, Banaoang Bantay, Ilocos Sur, to transform it into a major tourist destination.
The project, launched by the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS) and Travel Co-operative of the Philippines (TCP), can be compared to Mt Rushmore in South Dakota.

TCP/NAITAS chairman, Mr Robert Lim Joseph, said the four Ilocano presidents represented would be Elpidio Quirino from Ilocos Sur, Ramon Magsaysay, from Zambales, Ferdinand Marcos from Ilocos Norte, and Fidel Ramos from Pangasinan.

Constructed below the busts will be a theme park with a chapel and museum to house memorabilia, and stores for local delicacies and products from the four provinces.

Initial seed money for the project is one million pesos (US$17,857, but the agents plan to raise more money for the project, targeted for completion in three years.

http://www.manilamagazine.com/tourism.html#news1

Espma

January 29th, 2006, 03:29 PM

^^^ that grand island resort sounds impressive!! gotta go..visit that for sureeee!!

jbkayaker12

January 30th, 2006, 04:19 AM

I believe he was referring to Grande Island the former R&R spot for US servicemen during their stay at the bases in the Philippines, the island was turned into a resort many months back I supposed they are just having their grand opening now if I am not mistaken.

Espma

January 30th, 2006, 04:43 AM

my grandfather used to be the chief security thingo there when it was occupied by the americans...sO great that they have finally turned it to something spectacular..$4.3 million is a huge amount!! must be great..

Skyblade

January 30th, 2006, 10:11 AM

Philippines Steps up Campaign to Sustain Tourism Growth
Link to the article (http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060125/4/2enmv.html)

DAVAO CITY, Jan 25 Asia Pulse - An aggressive promotional campaign and the shift to focused destinations has helped the Philippine tourism sector post an average annual growth rate of six per cent, at a par with world and regional growth rate.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said the country now enjoys a record-breaking volume of tourist arrivals.

In 2005, the Philippines received increasing number of visitors from Korea and Japan, with Korea maintaining an average monthly growth of 30 per cent.

Also, tourists from China overshoot DOT's target volume last September 2005 with 150 per cent growth while Russia posted 180 per cent growth on the 10th month last year, which both recorded double-digit increases compared to their volume in previous years.

The tourism chief attributed the continuing growth on tourist arrivals to key measures applied by the government.

Some 22 tourism projects worth P3.89 billion (US$74.1 million) were endorsed by DOT to various government agencies for grant of incentives and clearances.

There is also ongoing construction of additional rooms and renovation in the different areas where tourism sites are located.

Durano said the national government has prioritized infrastructure support to tourism development, including the upgrading of airports.

Current airport expansion include the improvement of Busuanga Airport in Northern Palawan; the P500 million funds raised to enhance the Mactan International Airport in Cebu; the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal being spruced up to its opening; and the Kuwaiti Group to construct world class passenger terminal at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

Durano said the tourism highway given attention by the Department of Public Works and Highways helps facilitate tourist mobility and access to major destinations and attractions.

(PNA)

_zner_

January 30th, 2006, 10:18 AM

5M in 5years is so pathetic!!

slerz

January 30th, 2006, 12:19 PM

from Saipan Tribune
Hotel occupancy drops but room rates slightly improve

Monday, January 30, 2006

The CNMI's hotel occupancy rate averaged 70.16 percent in 2005-a figure that the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands claims as not profitable for most local hotels-even as the average monthly room rate for the year improved to $84.54.

HANMI statistics showed the occupancy rate drop slightly from the 2004 average of 71.75 percent. Except for the 2004 average, the 2005 figure appeared to be the highest average occupancy rate for the past seven years, but it settled way below record highs of 85.57 and 81.35 percent in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

HANMI chairperson Lynn Knight said the 2005 occupancy rate fell below the targeted average of 80-some percent. She said that, even as the average room rate slightly increased from 2004's $80.42 average, the 2005 rate settled at almost $52 below the record high of $136.06 in 1997. In 1996, the average room rate for the year was $127.73.

"The industry has still a long way to go to get back up to a healthy, profitable position wherein investors are getting a return on the business," Knight said in an interview Friday.

Knight further noted that many hotels have been embarking on improvements of their respective establishments, saying that some $40 million have been spent so far for hotel improvements in the past two years.

Knight added, though, that the improvements would benefit the CNMI as a destination, as other competing destinations like Guam, Hawaii, the Philippines' Cebu and Japan's Okinawa witness similar development. She said it is best to make improvements now that business has slowed down.

The 2005 average room rate, though, has been the highest since 2002, but lower than the annual average from 1992 to 2001, when the average reached $89.27 even after the 911 attacks impacted global travel during the last quarter of that year.

December 2005's average room rate reached $90.66, slightly improving from December 2004's $87.21, but much lower than the peak December average of $143.52 in 1996.

The year's peak average monthly room rate reached $99.08 in August, even higher than 2004's $91.95 for the same month, but way below the $162.96 average in 1996.

Occupancy rate for December 2005 dropped to 63.20 percent compared to December 2004's 71.59 percent. Hotel occupancy for December reached its peak of 83.51 percent in 1995.

The highest monthly occupancy average in 2005 reached 79.65 percent, slightly higher than December 2004's 79.33 percent, just before Japan Airlines pulled out its regular flights to Saipan in October.

_ _ _ _ _ _

kahit papano, the Philippines is already a threat to some international tourists destinations. Nong una, ang baba ng tingin ng ibang bansa in terms of tourism.

Espma

January 30th, 2006, 01:17 PM

5M in 5years is so pathetic!!

lol do u find it pathetic..coz u dont think the Philippines can achieve that goal...OR that the target is very small and that the Philippines can definitely do much much better than 5M in 5 years?!

JAMAICUS

January 30th, 2006, 01:57 PM

5M in 5years is so pathetic!!

ALL RIGHT THEN, GIVE US A BETTER PLAN THEN!!! GIVE AN ALTERNATIVE!!! SUCH PESSIMISM IS SO PATHETIC!!! CAN'T YOU SEE THE NATION IS TRYING ITS BEST!!! YES, IT IS TRUE WE MAY LAG BEHIND WITH OUR NEIBORS BUT THEN AGAIN WHAT SHOULD WE DO????!!!!! NOT GO WITH THIS PLAN????!!!! GOT AN ALTERNATIVE!!!!!!ONCE AGAIN, GIVE A FEASIBLE ALTERNATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@ Myx,
With all due utmost repect, but this comment of yours really pissed me off. It reminds me of our talangka minded Filipinos, with all due respect to you of course.

sista

January 30th, 2006, 03:10 PM

^^ oo nga eh, naaasar ako sa pessimism ng mga tao, sabi din ng mom ko na umalis ako ng bansa pag laki ko dahil wala ng pag-asa ang pinas...I was saying that I can work abroad but I can't leave this place...I love the country so much to leave it lol

slerz

January 30th, 2006, 03:56 PM

5M in 5years is so pathetic!!

@myx, you shouldn't live here in the Philippines and change your nationality to whatever you want... tsong, panapanahon lang yan, hindi ibig sabihin na we are behind now and we will still behind tomorow, pwede cguro and you can say in that manner kung walang gumagawa ng paraan for our tourism industry but the fact is meron. Kagaya ka rin ng mga politiko na taga oposition, batbat ng batbat pero wala namang naitutulong but I hope through your signature :)

stephencua

January 31st, 2006, 01:46 AM

it might be pathetic but its a start.. remember, a thousand mile journey begins with a single step.. you honestly cant expect the tourist arrivals to reach 10M overnight can you? 5M for me is a good enough goal for 5 years.. after that give it another 5M so 10M in 10 years..

marites4

January 31st, 2006, 01:56 AM

guys i think myx has good intentions. Anyway 5 million is too manytourists already.

Askal82

January 31st, 2006, 02:25 AM

Or MyX thinks that 5 million tourists isn't enough. We could've gotten more!! :)

slerz

January 31st, 2006, 03:53 AM

di, sa akin lang... why say such words describing our industry where people are doing something with double effort pa nga pero there are people still keeps on saying things that can be disappointing... As what I said, ok lang kung klaro na walang ginagawa ang opisyal pero meron naman. Sana sa magandang mga salita man lang na bibitiwan natin tayo makakatulong, diba?

slerz

January 31st, 2006, 03:55 AM

Or MyX thinks that 5 million tourists isn't enough. We could've gotten more!! :)

ang mga tao talaga, gusto instant kaagad :D
kain nalang tayo ng noodles :jk:

Askal82

January 31st, 2006, 04:19 AM

Actually, a million a year is quite conservative in my opinion. With the right kind of energy, investments and positive developments in the country, I think more than a million a year can be attained. :)

slerz

January 31st, 2006, 04:46 AM

then we all know that there are devils within our premises that is slowing down our tourism industry, sana sila ang sabihan nila ng pathetic not this delicate industry of ours... ;).

Askal82

February 1st, 2006, 12:25 AM

tourism kasi is a collaborative effort. Hindi lang naman DOT yan. Kasama dyan yung lahat ng agencies ng pamahalaan pati yung mga tao din.

slerz

February 1st, 2006, 12:42 AM

so dahil yung ibang agencies ay natutulog at hindi tumutulong sa DOT, di na rin tayo tutulong but instead we will just critisize DOT of aiming 5M tourists in 5 yrs which is a pitiful dream...ganun?
kaya nga, pati yung mga tao kasama din... but anong ginagawa ng mga tao... imbes tulungan ang DOT, salita lang ng salita... the DOT aimed for a 5M tourists in 5yrs, imbes na suportahan nalang, sinasabihan pa na it's a very poor dream... if we can't do it the best way, there is still the least way... ;)

slerz

February 1st, 2006, 12:54 AM

Askal82

February 1st, 2006, 01:06 AM

ang problema sa atin, we're so bully of our neigbors... ikinukumpara natin ang sa atin sa kanila at kung makikita natin na napakalaki ng diperensya, disapoint kaagad at aakusahan kaagad ang mga taga DOT. Coz mahilig tayo mangumpara... and if you found out na malaki sa akin at maliit sayo, madidisapoint ka kaagad... mabuti nga maliit, kasya jk:D

Ano!?!?! Anong malaki sa yo at maliit sa akin!?!?! Bakit napunta tayo doon? :lol:
5 million in 5 years sa akin is a conservative estimate. I think Philippines can have more than that basta mag improve lang ang conditions. Ganon din kaya ang nangyari sa *toot* at *toot*. Tatalbog din ang mga yan pag Pinas ang bumanat. :). Malaki talaga ang potential ng Pilipinas. Tignan mo pag madevelop ang mga cities sa Pilipinas- talbog ang mga sibuyas, bawang at mga kung ano ano pang mga 'rekado' este mga Hershey's nila doon!

rockwell baller

February 1st, 2006, 01:42 AM

slerz

February 1st, 2006, 03:30 AM

Ano!?!?! Anong malaki sa yo at maliit sa akin!?!?! Bakit napunta tayo doon? :lol:
5 million in 5 years sa akin is a conservative estimate. I think Philippines can have more than that basta mag improve lang ang conditions. Ganon din kaya ang nangyari sa *toot* at *toot*. Tatalbog din ang mga yan pag Pinas ang bumanat. :). Malaki talaga ang potential ng Pilipinas. Tignan mo pag madevelop ang mga cities sa Pilipinas- talbog ang mga sibuyas, bawang at mga kung ano ano pang mga 'rekado' este mga Hershey's nila doon!

kaya nga eh, estimates lang naman yang 5 million in 5 yrs... we don't know more than tha pa ang ma aattain natin... and to think we're starting to attract tourists like here in Cebu, people here now are now very aware of our tourism industry di gaya noong ibang taon, people here are just ignoring tourism talagang walang paki alam pero ngayon ultimo mga anties ko, they're renovating their houses para merong matirhan ang ibang foreign tourists coz we still lack of hotel rooms at para naman magkapera... the other night lang, during our diner, we talked about our tourism industry and my mother said meron na namang mga Taiwanese na nagpapatutor sa kanya ng english, so another income for us... and my father also said, kada uwi niya dadaan na siya sa Sto. Niño church palagi coz kumpara daw nong una na paisa isa lang ang turista na dumaayo pero ngayong more than 2 buses na daw na foreign tourists (mostly europeans and koreans) araw araw ang bumibisita sa simbahan at naeengganyo daw siya sa mga puti :| ...
pati nga ang mga taxi drivers, kung tanongin mo... aware na aware na rin sa tourism industry kase palagi na raw sila sinasakyan ng mga tourists kumpara noong una...
So meaning we're getting way better that before kaya wag tayong mawalan ng pag asa mga amigo at sa halip tumulong din tayo para makakahabol tayo sa *toot* at *toot* at alam ko na malapin na un... :cheers1:

slerz

February 1st, 2006, 03:35 AM

we've got a lot of places!! kulang lang talaga ang efforts ng mga citizen and government employees katulad ng cnbi ko nung una visit 1st our country wala n kcng ibang pumapasok sa isip ntin pg travel ang pinguusapan e ibang bansa tsktsk.. the new tv ad of Smart-DOT is good ayoko nga lang ung boses ni regine v. doon hehe sana c leah salonga nlng ung kumanta hehe..

kaw naman bai, pati boses nag rereklamo ka... di ko rin gusto si Regine V dahil kaluso siya, eh kampanilya naman ako pero ok na rin maputi naman siya... buti nga hindi si boy abunda :D... piliana jud sa mga pinoy oi, sa ubang countries man gani gwapa pay bunot :D
at sa sinasabi mo na kulang ang efforts ng mga citizen at government employees, baliktad ang nakikita ko dahil todo suporta na sila sa tourism industry ngayon katulad ng sinasabi ko sa itaas ^^ ;)

marites4

February 1st, 2006, 04:00 AM

good for cebu then. everyone must put their share including the taxi drivers. it's good that more people are aware of the benefits of responsible tourism.

slerz

February 1st, 2006, 04:24 AM

^^media organizations here are also participaring, palagi nilang sinasabi sa radio at ipinapakita sa TV about our tourismn industry, how important is it and how beneficial is tourism and its positive effects to our economy and for Cebu to become famous as a major tourist destination sooner... all of it can happen if we all participate... :okay:

kaya nga kung napansin ninyo na very optimistic ang aking mga posts coz I see and feel it that we're doing better and better everyday...
kaya rin nagagalit ako sa mga nag cricritisize dyan na imbes tumulong...hehe

Skyblade

February 1st, 2006, 07:46 AM

PHILIPPINES KEEN ON INVESTING IN LEISURE AND SPORTS TOURISM
Thursday January 26, 2006, 7:28 pm
Link to the article (http://au.biz.yahoo.com/060126/17/hzwn.html)

DAVAO CITY, Jan 26 Asia Pulse - The Philippines is keen on investing in general leisure and sports tourism as major outlook that would boost the country's economy.

This, unlike the major tourism hubs in other ASEAN states that drives on "MICE" (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) as the primary aspect of their tourism industry.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano said the Philippines is better off in putting money for the purpose that's why it does not to follow the global tourism trend called MICE.

"My principle is that strategy should be dictated by the situation," Durano said, pointing out that Philippine tourism at present is focused on one specific goal, which is demand creation.

He said the promotion is focused in priority source markets such as China, Japan, Korea and the Filipino-Americans in United States.

"We are more competitive on such sector like vacation spots, golfing, scuba diving, etc. However, MICE is still part of our medium," Durano said.

ASEAN countries like Singapore, for example, claimed that MICE carries the bulk of their tourism receipts.

Accordingly, the country can host 200 simultaneous conferences and exhibitions.

It is also pushing for expansion of their infrastructure and capabilities.

Although the Philippines said it is not yet ready to follow such trend, the DOT is doubling efforts to expand the capacity such as establishment of more rooms for travelers, construction of new facilities, and upgrading of airports.

rowell_sk

February 2nd, 2006, 11:05 PM

Too early to celebrate tourism "success"
DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco
The Philippine Star 02/03/2006

I do not understand this premature chest thumping from the Department of Tourism (DOT), about foreign visitor arrivals reaching 2.114 million, as of October, supposedly surpassing their initial target. Maybe the target they have set is quite low. I recall that the level of tourist arrivals had always been between two to 2.5 million for a number of years now, with the exception of the period when the Abu Sayyaf hit the headlines and it plunged to 1.9 million. It was 2.4 million at the time of Edsa2. So, what's the big deal?

Let's also not forget the numbers DOT loves to cite includes foreign passport holding Pinoys. And we should have benefited from the eight or even 10 million tourists visiting our regional neighbors. If our promotions program is any good, we should have attracted a good number of those to come and see what we have.

Then again, I must admit that local hotel managers are saying they have never been happier, with high occupancy rates in recent months. In fact, I am told it is probably time to start building more rooms, specially in Cebu.

The question I have is, what spectacular difference has DOT made this year that justifies all this jumping up for joy? Fruitful tourism promotion, perhaps? They participated in some tourism exhibitions abroad. But was the expense worth the results in terms of more tourists coming here? The arrival numbers don?t show it. And many tourism experts in the private sector confirm my worse fears that these sporadic tourism fairs and exhibitions may be colorful photo ops, but are nothing more than junkets we can ill afford.

As I wrote in this column the other month, one such expert told me that if our tourism officials really wanted to increase the numbers significantly, they should instead be talking to the major tour operators and companies in Japan and Europe. Encourage them to come here and build resorts with the quality of Mactan Shangrila and Plantation Bay. Then, it would be to the interest of these investors to bring the tourists to their resorts here. That's what the Malaysians and Thais are doing.

Unfortunately, the Tourism people seem happy with their mediocre numbers, probably because as I heard from industry insiders, that?s about as good as it would ever get? unless we improve infrastructure? public and private. If that is so, then item one in the Tourism Secretary's agenda should be to lobby the President and other Cabinet members who can help him build public infrastructure.

Agenda item number two should be to lobby Congress to pass a tourism investment incentives bill so that private sector investments in tourism infrastructure such as hotels can be encouraged. The Tourism Secretary, being a politician from the majority party, could have been effective in getting a tourism investment incentives bill out of Congress. I remember there?s one that provides for the creation of tourism enterprise zones.

We simply have to get moving. For instance, they keep on saying that Bohol is one primary tourist destination. But has anyone done something or do they even plan to do anything about that horrible Bohol airport? The plane lands in Bohol and the passengers go down and wait for their luggage in that waiting shed of a terminal, which will not shelter you in a downpour. The luggage is finally unloaded from the plane and placed in some carts. As soon as the carts reach the waiting shed, it is every man for himself in retrieving luggage. I have seen foreigners stunned and too shocked to move at the sight of this barbaric scene.

But why go to Bohol and talk about their horrible airport? Right here is that embarrassment we call the Manila Domestic Terminal. And all that the airport people can say is that we should wait for NAIA 3 to open, if it ever does, so they can move the domestic terminal to the Centennial terminal, if PAL agrees, or if not, to the old NAIA-1, which is also not in the greatest shape. Yet, every tourist that goes to Boracay via Caticlan uses this poor excuse of a domestic terminal, as do two million other passengers to other local destinations.

Sure, airport terminal buildings are the concern of another Cabinet member, the DOTC Secretary and probably, the DPWH Secretary. Why should the Tourism Secretary worry about them? Because the Tourism Secretary must know that for him to deliver results that matter, we must have half decent airport terminal buildings. And don?t get me started on access roads to otherwise wonderful tourist sites in the countryside. Or the failure of tourism authorities to regulate tourist establishments in Boracay to make sure they don?t kill the goose laying the golden eggs through the discharge of untreated sewage into those pristine waters.

My point is, our tourism program thus far is still far from being a success because they have not done their homework, the tedious unglamorous backroom part of the job. This government should take tourism more seriously and fasttrack projects needed to enhance it. It is supposedly bringing in $2 billion a year now and providing jobs and livelihood to millions. The potential is much more. It is a pity the Tourism Secretary is obviously underperforming. I believe he certainly has the capacity to do a lot more, if he sets his mind to it.

_zner_

February 3rd, 2006, 10:10 AM

have you watched the segment last night at CNN about the Philippines?

their topic is all about the prisoners in JAIL in metro manila.. they are actually focusing on the crowdness on the jail and on the children that is suffering inside..

poor manila...or philippines i should say, theyve never got any compliments from international media...

Manila-X

February 3rd, 2006, 10:13 AM

_zner_

February 3rd, 2006, 10:20 AM

^^
i know.. they only feature philippines once in awhile but still, the topic is poverty...

Manila-X

February 3rd, 2006, 10:27 AM

^^
i know.. they only feature philippines once in awhile but still, the topic is poverty...

Not really poverty but prison conditions

normandb

February 3rd, 2006, 10:37 AM

Not really poverty but prison conditions

Why they dont just feature the prison in Makati, Parañaque, Marikina and Muntinlupa :D. It is well maintained and brand new he he he.

Manila-X

February 3rd, 2006, 10:39 AM

Why they dont just feature the prison in Makati, Parañaque, Marikina and Muntinlupa :D. It is well maintained and brand new he he he.

I wouldn't know and I don't plan to break the law here ;)

normandb

February 3rd, 2006, 10:51 AM

It's a good example of unbalance journalism. They only featured the worst part of us.

OtAkAw

February 3rd, 2006, 04:54 PM

^like I care, let them do what they want. Remember that all great things come to an end. Egypt collapsed, Rome collapsed even Greece so in no time the countries where these "pessimistic media" lurk will go down the drain and then it's our turn to molest them.j/k!

Just ignore them, the more you digest the information given, the more you urge to kill them.

vanoy2000

February 3rd, 2006, 07:19 PM

i just scanned philippine news today and manila bulletin's headline is about that massacre in sulu. this really made me mad. why do they highlight the bad news and not the good news like the appreciation of peso? as if walang nangyayaring patayan sa ibang bansa. here in vancouver, may mga murders na nangyayari pero maliit lang ang news and not much detail. do they think na bebenta ang kanilang newspapers sa mga ganitong balita? well, i wish na huwag i-patronize ang mga newspapers na mahilig sa negative sensationalism.

Askal82

February 3rd, 2006, 11:53 PM

^^ Ang masama pa, ginawa pa nilang headlines. They could've put that in the middle or at the end of the newspaper.

rowell_sk

February 4th, 2006, 12:45 AM

Arroyo certifies Senate 'tourism bill' as urgent
02/03 4:44:46 PM

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has certified as urgent the bill filed by Senator Richard Gordon reorganizing the Department of Tourism (DOT) and its attached agencies to boost tourism and attract more investments in the industry.

In a communication to Senate President Franklin Drilon and House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Malacañang Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita said that President Arroyo has certified to the ?necessity of the immediate enactment? of Senate Bill No. 1238, principally authored by Senator Gordon.

The bill seeks, among others, to create Tourism Philippines, a corporation combining the functions of the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation, the Philippine Tourism Authority and the promotions and marketing departments of the DOT to strengthen the promotion of the tourism industry.

To be governed principally by private sector representatives, Tourism Philippines will be supported by a funding scheme that would generate at least US$100 million, of which at least half would be spent on the promotion of the Philippine tourism industry.

Gordon said his bill ?seeks to encourage investments in new hotels, resorts and other tourism enterprises through tax breaks and fast, friendly and efficient governance to truly create world-class establishments in the most beautifully, historical and culturally significant areas of our country.?

Gordon explained that his bill would make the Philippines a major global player in tourism, first, by strengthening tourism industry promotions, second, increasing the country?s tourist accommodations, and third, by rallying the public and private sectors to support tourism development.

The bill had undergone significant revisions in the course of committee deliberations with representatives of the private sector, the DOT and other government agencies responsible for budget and investments, according to Gordon.

?The Tourism Act of 2006 is not simply about tourism or its economic impact,? explained Gordon. ?it is ultimately about building our self-worth as a people, not only through the dignity of work through investments generated, but in a genuine awareness of the richness of our history and culture, and the beauty of our country.?

_zner_

February 4th, 2006, 01:28 AM

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slerz

February 5th, 2006, 12:30 AM

It's a good example of unbalance journalism. They only featured the worst part of us.
And one of the best happenings just recently is the ATF(Asian Tourism Forum) in Davao but was not in headline. bash you journalists!!!

ivanc

February 5th, 2006, 07:09 AM

hello mga bai, need help.

do you know where we can download "More than the usual" ads/video, not the long one, just the 30-sec clips type shown on TV (more than the usual high rise, more than the usual sidewalk....) ? thanks a lot!

JAMAICUS

February 5th, 2006, 08:32 AM

DOT has a new website :

http://www.wowpinoy.net/

normandb

February 5th, 2006, 08:42 AM

normandb

February 5th, 2006, 10:55 AM

I've downloaded the 16MB video of Visit Philippines from it's side and uploaded it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the Philippines

Click here to watch the video (http://216.86.150.60/videos/0/360005_8688d.wmv)

Skyblade

February 5th, 2006, 01:54 PM

boybleauXx

February 5th, 2006, 06:42 PM

the video I guess lost its link...

normandb

February 5th, 2006, 11:03 PM

ncbmandy, for some reason it's not working... If it's the 5 minute video from WowPinoy, it definitely is an excellent one...we used it for our presentation of the Philippines in the Hokkaido University cultural celebration. :D

I have attached it in my website. www.geocities.com/ncbmandy check it out and it is working fine.

Delirium

February 6th, 2006, 02:00 AM

hello, just thought i'd post this article, its very positive for the most part *COUGH* excpt manila *COUGH*, which is surprising considering its from an English newspaper. :)

Thousands of islands, too many tropical beaches to count and hardly a tourist in sight. How come the Philippines is missing off the backpacker trail? Gavin McOwan reports

Saturday February 4, 2006
The Guardian

Imelda Marcos once said that the Philippines was "neither here nor there", and if you pick out the disparate group of islands almost drifting off the map of the world, you can see her point. It is an archipelago clinging on to the fringe of the greatest continent, the last "proper" country in Asia before the constellation of tiny Micronesian islands flows eastwards into the infinity of the Pacific.
This is perhaps why tourism has never taken off in the Philippines the way it has in other countries in south-east Asia. Most westerners know more about Imelda's shoe collection than they do about the country's vast and varied landscapes. (Imelda is still in business, by the way. She is the patron - without any apparent trace of irony - of the shoe museum in Manila to which she has donated some 50 pairs of her famous size eights.)

And post 9/11, many would-be visitors have been put off by a fear of terrorism from a small contingent of Muslim separatists from Mindanao in the far south of the country, some foreign ministries even advising against travelling there altogether. But the danger is confined to a handful of islands, leaving the other 7,000 safe for travellers to explore.

Over seven thousand tropical islands and hardly a tourist in sight. This sounded more like an exhortation than a warning to stay away. The fact that the Philippines is so isolated or - to use another of Imelda's inimitable phrases - "really hamburgered geographically" makes it a delight for anyone looking to escape the backpackers' superhighway. The only problem is knowing where to start. All flights lead to Manila and for a day or so after landing in that chaotic urban monster, I almost wished I'd taken the softer option of Thailand. But I forgot that as soon as I'd escaped Manila's the polluted streets. (If you only spend a day in the capital it is worth visiting Intramuros, the charming Spanish old town where the country's modern history began).

There is plenty to see on and around Luzon, the largest island where Manila lies. Further afield the Visayas, at the heart of the archipelago, offer beaches and reefs at every turn as well as fascinating history. And Palawan, the westernmost group of islands, is a virtually untouched Jurassic landscape of beaches, lagoons, underground rivers and limestone cliffs, plus some of the most exciting scuba diving in Asia.

A memorable trip can begin with a single quiet moment, and mine came at the Banaue, a hotel with pretensions of a Swiss ski lodge, sitting incongruously in an Asian rainforest, a day's drive but a world away from Manila. It's a bizarre place with long, echoing corridors and cavernous restaurant that had a touch of The Shining to it. It was sunrise and I was sitting on my balcony waiting for the mist to clear in the valley below. Slowly, a carpet of tropical forest revealed itself and there, weaving in and out of the mist and flora, falling down the mountainside, were the rice terraces. The Ifugao tribespeople built these "stairways to heaven" 2,000 years ago, an engineering achievement as audacious as the pyramids and equally spectacular. What's more, as Filipinos were eager to tell me, unlike the pyramids, they were created out of solidarity rather than slavery and are still in use today. I was swept away with the beauty of my surroundings: two days in and I had already fallen for the Philippines.

Eager to see more of the 20,000km of rice terraces that stretch around the hillsides of Banaue, I headed for Batad, a remote village with no telephones and little electricity, where life has hardly changed since the Ifugao migrated here from Indonesia, bringing their prodigious engineering skills with them.

After a three-hour hike over the hills and down through the jungle, Christi, my guide, led me to a ridge high above Batad. A panorama of stone walls and emerald green paddies starting high on the mountainsides of four converging valleys cascaded down the hillside, layer after layer of perfectly contoured sweeping lines. At the centre of this natural amphitheatre sat a tiny village of pyramid roofs - a mix of traditional thatch and dazzling silver of corrugated iron. I have never seen a man-made structure that fits so harmoniously with its natural environment. It was easy to see why the Filipinos call this the eighth wonder of the world.

Christi's forebears had tended these hills. She explained how the peasants' co-operative that existed here for centuries had given way to family ownership and subsequent inequality. The terraces down in the valley are the most fertile while the ones currently being repaired at the top of the mountain had lain in ruins for decades before the local government agreed to rebuild them.

In the afternoon I skipped up, down and along the terrace walls and then bathed at the glorious Tappia waterfall in one of the valleys. When it was time to leave Batad in the late afternoon, my heart sank. I was meant to spend my last night in the region back at The Shining, sharing an "international buffet" with a German tour group and enduring a "tribal dancing show". Instead, I sent a message back to the Banaue to tell them I wouldn't be home for dinner, and checked into Rita's guesthouse, a glorified two-storey, £1-per-night shack with a tin roof and a perfect view over the terraces. For dinner, I ate adobo, the national dish of chicken cooked in soy sauce and vinegar, with rice that had been grown in the paddies, and chatted into the night over a few bottles of unchilled San Miguel with three other travellers - the only other outsiders in town.

And that is one of the beauties of the Philippines. What would somewhere as magical as Batad be like if the islands had become part of a backpacker theme park like many parts of south-east Asia, with their full-moon parties and swathes of beach populated by people who look like extras from, well, The Beach?

Incongruously, this is a Christian culture where English is an official language. The population is a melting pot of Malay, Chinese, Spanish and American - Orientals with Californian accents and Latin souls who love nothing more than a good fiesta. It is a mix epitomised by Cora, my guide and companion for much of my trip, who speaks five languages and sees no contradiction in wearing a crucifix and a rosary along with a new-age crystal bracelet on her wrist and figurine of a rice god from the indigenous tribes round her neck. "We are the only people in Asia who go to church instead of the temple and use a knife and fork instead of chopsticks," Cora proudly told me.

This mishmash of cultures is the legacy of a double dose of imperialism, by the US in the first half of the 20th century and, preceding them, the Spanish, who, as in Cuba, were vanquished by the Americans in 1898 after almost 400 years of colonial rule. As in Goa or Latin America, the Iberian legacy is a seductive juxtaposition of Catholic churches, plazas and fortresses crumbling gracefully amid lush tropical greenery under a blistering sun.

The Spanish ethic of manaña, or "Filipino time" as they call it here, has outlived America's attempt to impose a protestant work ethic. Nowhere was this more apparent than in Bohol in the Visayas, a beautifully sleepy tropical island even by Philippine standards. Many of the houses are still made in the traditional way from ornately woven bamboo with palm-thatched roofs, the small front gardens a riot of red, purple and yellow bougainvillea. It's the kind of place where a water buffalo sauntering across the road or a family of six riding a motorbike doesn't turn a single head. When they speak English in these parts their accent has a lovely, languorous lilt similar to that of Caribbean.

Bohol's most famous attraction is the surreal Chocolate Hills, a range of near-identical 40m mounds stretching gracefully to the horizon. Geologists say they were formed by coral deposits that have been sculpted by millennia of erosion, although local legend is more romantic: they are either the calcified tears of a broken-hearted giant or the deposits of a giant water buffalo with troubled bowels. When I visited, the hills were shimmering green, but in the dry season when the foliage turns brown they appear as thousands of giant chocolate drops.

I downshifted to Bohol time on Alona beach, an idyllic stretch of white sand and coral reefs that has become a haven for divers. The Philippines offers some of the best and cheapest scuba diving in the world and is an excellent place to learn. Alona is one of dozens of dive sites dotted around the country and has healthy coral, a multitude of fish and an underwater cliff dropping to 50 metres. By day I watched small fishing boats bring in their catch and at night ate it in the beach bars. A basket of glistening lobster, tiger prawns, squid and exotic fish were bought to the table; all I had to do was choose a selection to be thrown on the barbecue. Or I'd opt for kilawin, sometimes described as "Filipino sushi", but actually "cold cooked" ceviche-style grouper in coconut vinegar and spices - delicious washed down with the ubiquitous San Miguel.

Many say it was the Philippines that provided the inspiration for Alex Garland's The Beach (he lived and travelled there), and the plot - following a secret map to a hidden island paradise - would be more plausible had it been set here rather than comparatively overrun Thailand. The Philippines has so many deserted beaches that it's easy to hire a fishing boat and find your own. There are countless jungles, reefs and volcanoes still waiting to be discovered.

sandrin

February 6th, 2006, 02:20 AM

Nice article.....makes me crave for fresh seafoods and vegetables...

dancethingy

February 6th, 2006, 03:31 AM

SIGH, i still havent gone to Banaue cause March is the preferred month to start going. What a great article.

Espma

February 6th, 2006, 03:42 AM

^^totally agree, great read!!...
that last part about, Alex Garland its quite intriguing..hahaha don't think the Thais will like that very much....

OtAkAw

February 6th, 2006, 12:55 PM

^Who cares about the Thais? No, joke!!!

You know, after the news broke out that Thais accused us of cheating in SEAGAMES, my classmates organized a "thais-are-morons" club, but we were disbanded by our professors saying that it was not too "diplomatic", does that mean it's ok, napikon din yata siya eh... sana walang thai dito.

le Reine

February 6th, 2006, 06:03 PM

I just noticed that the Britons know a lot about Imelda...

Lili

February 6th, 2006, 06:44 PM

driftwood

February 6th, 2006, 06:50 PM

^^ December 2005, Lil. ;) But I agree with what you said.

tigidig14

February 6th, 2006, 06:52 PM

^^totoo, tapos yung airport sa side nun ang daming nakatirang illegal dapat ialis yun eh, o kahit sa kanila ang lupa, bayaran sila ng gobyerno tapos ipa-move sila malapit sa divisoria. ang kukulit rin kasi ng mga tao satin eh. tapos yung airport nde matapos tapos ang kaso, mas magandang way ay gawing icon na lang ang unang airport ni locsin, gawing nara wood sa loob parang feel mo talga native pnas. tapos babaan din ang pag-sesekyu masyado sa loob. dapat talga ang scrutinizing sekyu ay yung pinaka-entrance tapos after that happy go lucky na, nako po isang katutak ba ang kaekekan. nakakahiya, hindi sila mahiya sa kin, naku po, he he he

driftwood

February 6th, 2006, 06:55 PM

^^ :rofl:

Askal82

February 6th, 2006, 09:20 PM

@tigz, mas maganda kung buksan na nila yung lintek na NAIA 3 na yan!! :gaah:

rockwell baller

February 7th, 2006, 06:53 AM

cnn sucks! dapat mg-publish ng weekly newspaper na puro good news and much about tourism!

c0kelitr0

February 7th, 2006, 08:52 AM

Alex Garland indeed lived here in the Philippines. He even wrote a novel "The Tesseract" set in Manila.

OtAkAw

February 7th, 2006, 08:56 AM

cnn sucks! dapat mg-publish ng weekly newspaper na puro good news and much about tourism!
I am open to this idea: eliminate all bad news!

stephencua

February 7th, 2006, 09:13 AM

taken from inq7.net.. i hope the DOT could reach and surpass its goal every year..

Tourist arrivals increase
by 17% in 2005
By Tetch Torres
INQ7.net

Advertisement
THE NUMBER of foreign tourists who visited the country increased by 17 percent last year or 393,600 more than the number of foreigners who arrived in 2004.

Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez Jr. said a total of 2.6 million foreign tourists arrived in 2005, while 2.26 million foreigners visited the country in 2004.

"What is evident is that there was significant increase in the number of foreigners who visited us last year, which is an encouraging sign that the confidence of the international community in our country remains strong and vibrant," Fernandez said.

The Department of Tourism expects some 2.8 million to 3 million foreign tourists to arrive this year.

Manila-X

February 7th, 2006, 10:00 AM

Alex Garland indeed lived here in the Philippines. He even wrote a novel "The Tesseract" set in Manila.

I saw a movie with the same name but it was set in Bangkok

dancethingy

February 7th, 2006, 12:54 PM

That article by Gavin McOwan is largely positive but reading his account of Manila being a 'chaotic urban monster' makes me sad because it coincided with my own observation during my last trip to Manila in December 2006. (Posted in Condominiums as Investment in the Projects on the Rise thread.)

Manila should be our showcase because it is our premier metropolis, the first port of entry of almost all visitors to the country. Muntik ng ma turn-off tuloy yung turista. There should be a reinvigorated effort to recapture the beauty and glory of Manila. More attention and effort to beautify the streets of Manila, control the pollution and traffic, etc. etc. should be done.

Ate lili, you are quite right about the need to rehabilitate Manila. It would be a colossal job though. A friend of mine who lives near UST has agreed to tour me around the streets near Espana so i can take pics of Manila's streets. The streets are bigger than the neighborhood streets of Chicago and theu convey a very similar conviviality that I love so much about Chicago's main arteries. There are so many old structures, although dilapitaded, they are very charming and unique. What i love about the structures on these streets is that they are architecturally united while at the same time not monotonous. What i mean is that all the structures look different and they don't try to "look" like a certain era or like a certain place out of the country. They are original footprints in a time when Filipinos created structures not in the image of mediterranean villas, victorian homes, etc.... but on the image of what they saw a Filipino home should be and look like.

Im beginning great interest and like towards Manila even though its urban grit can sometime come off as just ghastly. Manila was once the pearl of the orient, the most beautiful city in the continent. I have a feeling traces of that bygone era haven't escaped us yet and by just uncovering the layers of time Manily can be the most beautiful city once more.

marites4

February 7th, 2006, 05:38 PM

yeah just like the old houses in malate. they look unique and grand underneath that dilapidated look. Manila just need a total facelift. And if it would be kept liter free it would be so much more beautiful.

sandrin

February 7th, 2006, 05:54 PM

Bagsak talaga tayo sa "first impression". Pagbaba pa lang ng airport, ano ang sumasalubong sa mga dayuhan, GULO!!!! kahit na ang destinasyon nila ay makati o Ortigas center na medyo maayos naman, gulo pa rin ang nasa utak ng mga yan kasi "first impressions are lasting impressions".
Sa tinagal-tagal ba namang buksan yung NAIAA3, dapat talaga ayusin nila nang husto yung NAIIA 3 at lahat ng daan palabas ng airport lalo na yung papunta sa Makati at Ortigas pati na rin yung Pasay.

stephencua

February 8th, 2006, 02:39 AM

taken from philstar.com..

Tourism can spark economic take off
DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco
The Philippine Star 02/08/2006

Though he is no longer tourism secretary, Sen. Dick Gordon is still acting and talking like the industry is his only child. Dick told me that during the Council of State meeting held recently, he made an impassioned plea for the administration to put tourism in its front burner, give it the high priority it deserves because it is the industry that could spark the economic take off.

Tourism, Dick said, is not some kid brother to trade and industry. "In fact, in the face of cutthroat competition from a growing China and a rising India, just how competitive will our manufactures and exports be in the near future?"

Dick recalled that a few years ago, Malaysia was talking about building the Malaysian super corridor for electronics manufacturing. Then suddenly, China decided to boom and Malaysia immediately shuffled its investments towards tourism – promoting Malaysia in millions of dollars and in the process generating 15.7 million tourists a year – right now.

Sen. Gordon recalled that he opened the tourism office in Beijing because he saw a booming market in newly prosperous Chinese tourists that would add up to our annual numbers. But ultimately, the Philippines must set its sights on the higher value tourists – those who are willing to stay longer and spend more, like those from Japan and Europe.

The senator said that unfortunately, we are very way behind in the game, which is why he sponsored Senate Bill 2138 to cover all aspects of tourism, from promotion to regulation. Dick feels tourism development must be coupled with improving the tourism services of the country through effective regulation. Our goal must be to truly make the Philippines globally competitive within the region.

It is in this area that the DOT must take the lead, emphasizing that the fundamental function of government is the regulation of private rights – the right of a businessman to make a profit, and the right of a tourist to a safe and enjoyable stay, Gordon observes. "Except for a very select few, our hotels and resorts have yet to be truly globally competitive. The DOT must continuously raise the bar for performance, and demand excellence from the private sector."

Then, there exists the imperative to upgrade existing destinations and develop new ones. Gordon notes that at present, it appears that our hotels and resorts can only accommodate three million tourists. To fully take advantage of the global tourism boom and a strengthened marketing effort, we must properly plan and develop tourism zones in a manner that respects local culture and the environment.

Gordon explains that his proposed bill covers the three important aspects of tourism development – empowered promotions, strengthened regulations, and better zone development. The Senator said he has taken his experience as Tourism Secretary and has translated this into legislation.

"We had 2.29 million foreign tourists last year (2004), and we generated $2 billion in tourist receipts. But this is hardly the tip of the global tourism iceberg. Last year, Malaysia had 15.7 million tourists, and Thailand had 11.7 million. Hong Kong had 21 million, and even Indonesia had five million." Gordon continues: "Imagine what 10 million foreign tourists could do to the Philippine economy, when the average international tourist spends $878 during his stay here in the Philippines. That would be almost $9 billion injected into the economy, or almost P500 billion – practically half the national budget…

"For every five foreign tourists that come in, we directly generate three new jobs for our people… The real wonder of tourism is that, those dollars that come in will stay in the economy, and will not be channeled back to some mother company abroad as the dollars earned by export manufacturing are wont to do. In fact, they will filter down to the cab drivers, to the farmers. It will filter down to the sari-sari store, to the masseurs and the waiters."

Dick told me that with the rehabilitation of the North Luzon Expressway and the construction of the Subic-Clark Expressway, he can see the development of beach resorts along the China Sea coast of Zambales to Pangasinan and all the way to La Union and the Ilocos region. Infrastructure and the proper investment incentives for the private sector are critical to the realization of this vision.

Well, we can only say, amen to that. Hopefully the big shots in government heard the senator’s plea during that Council of State meeting. I realize Malacañang has certified the bill as urgent. A similar bill has also been filed in the House by Rep. Jesli Lapus of Tarlac. Now… if only our solons can take time out from cha cha to discuss and pass it…

ishtefh_03

February 8th, 2006, 02:53 AM

Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta soars to its 10th year
By ARLENE DABU-FOZ

A canine-starring, vibrant parade of multicolored aero floaters will cheer up Clark Field’s skies as the 10th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta takes off come February 9-12, 2006 at the sprawling Omni Avation Complex in Angeles, Pampanga.

Ronaldo Tituico, Regional Director of the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region III beamed that a bigger and more exciting four-day show next week will certainly wow the crowd as a giant dog and newspaper complete the pageantry of some 24 uniquely designed animated hot air balloons from various countries.

Aside from the Philippines, participating countries include the United States, United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea.

The country’s hot air balloon club with its president Capt. Joy Roa of Air Ads, Inc. is the lead organizer of the affair, supported by Clark Development Corp. (CDC), DOT, 600th Air Base Wing and Air Transportation Office (ATO).

Reynaldo Liwanag, president of the Angeles City Four Wheelers Club, will spearhead his team in providing search and rescue operation for hot air balloon fliers should there be hitches along the way.

Special ground activities will be featured such as games and entertainment like children’s playoffs, fun booths, food plaza, trade fair and exhibits and more.

In between hot air balloon flights, the Angeles City skyline will be revved up with stunning air sporting events like sky diving and flag jump, ultra lights aerobatics, light airplane rally, helicopter flight demo, hang gliding, remote-controlled aeromodellers, choreographed kite flying, agriculture plane spray demo, airplane vs. motorcycle race, hot air balloon night glow, RC plane flying demo, to name a few.

Former Tourism Secretary Mina T. Gabor launched the now 12-year-old hot air balloon show, exactly three years after the Mt. Pinatubo blast. The event served as a very successful tourism and economic buffer for Pampanga, especially Angeles City, after the devastation.

Since then, the hot air balloon fiesta became an annual celebration that has managed to attract participants from all over and has spawned further creativity in hot air balloon models through the years.

Spectators are advised to join the participants and fliers as early as 5 a.m to have a look at the fly-out and fly-in launch of the event. Adults, children and students will be charged a standard entrance fee of R100.

Skyblade

February 8th, 2006, 03:36 PM

I seriously wish I could be able to be there for the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Unfortunately I'll be missing out on that as well as the PTAA expo... :(

Here's some information for those interested on the PTAA Travel and Tour Expo this weekend @ the SM Megamall.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/traveltour.jpg (http://www.ptaatraveltourexpo.com.ph/)

The Travel Tour Expo

Discover and enjoy the Travel Lifestyle and you will Experience the Difference! Travel broadens your horizons to new experiences and new cultures. For the 13th TravelTour Expo exhibitors, trade visitors and the general public, TTE 2006 brings forth new and expanded product offerings and provides the ideal platform for every target group in this industry. In addition, as part of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the PTAA, TTE 2006 is the place where you and the world intersect!

Date:
10 to 12 February 2006

Venue:
Megatrade Halls 1, 2 & 3, 5/L, Bldg.B
SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City

Opening Hours:
10 AM to 8 PM

Accompanying Events:
Daily Raffle Draws, Entertainment & Games and Exhibitors’ Presentations & more surprises

Event Layout/Floor Plan (http://www.ptaatraveltourexpo.com.ph/images/floorplan-big.gif)

bulakenyo

February 8th, 2006, 04:41 PM

http://www.wowpinoy.net/media_gallery.php

Wow! Nice video. I particularly liked the "More than the usual Asia" statement.

kiretoce

February 8th, 2006, 06:14 PM

60,000 tourists seen flocking to Clark
By Roderick T. dela Cruz

The Department of Tourism (DoT) expects some 60,000 local and foreign tourists to flock to Clark Field, Pampanga during a four-day hot-air balloon festival that starts today.

“We are expecting more than 60,000 local and foreign tourists to come and see this year’s hot-air balloon fest. As the show gets better each year, the crowd grows bigger, especially now that we have international direct flights to Clark,” Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano said.

Organizers of the 10th Philippine International Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta said participants from the Philippines and 10 other countries will compete during the event to be held at the Omni Aviation Complex in Clark.

“Twenty-four multicolored hot-air balloons will dominate Clark’s skyline this year with expected participants coming from Finland, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines,” the DoT said.

It said that aside from hot-air balloon crew members, more than 30 foreign plane pilots will also participate in air-sport events, which consist of ultra-light flying, light airplane rally, helicopter flight demo and aerobatic precision flying.

Other aerial shows include hang gliding, sky diving and aeromodeling. Ground activities, on the other hand, will include kite flying, dog show, daily concerts, trade fairs and games for kids and adults.

The balloon fiesta was first organized in 1994 by former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor, three years following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, to help revive the spirit of the people and the economy of Central Luzon.

The four-day festival is a joint project of the DoT, Hot-Air Balloon Club of the Philippines, Clark Development Corp., 600th Air Base Wing, Angeles City Four Wheelers Club and Air Transportation Office.

kiretoce

February 8th, 2006, 06:16 PM

Laviña pushes for more tourism transport links

Davao City (9 February) -- International air links are being pushed by Davao City officials in accordance with the vision of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation to develop the Asean as a single destination agreed during the Asean Tourism Forum held last month here.

Councilor Peter Laviña said more tourism transport links with the Asean neighbors must be established particularly in the mega hubs like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur and likewise strengthen the links with Singapore which is now served by Silkair and the south, the Manado-Bali route.

He is strongly proposing air links with Bangkok not only because it is a truly international hub but it is Davao's effective link to the whole Mekong Delta Region composed of Asean members like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

"These neighbors have plenty of budget air carriers and we need to lure them to service Davao/Mindanao and not only Manila and Clark," he said.

He said they should work out to include Davao City in the fast growing cruise market.

He also said that the coming Kadayawan Festival is a good tourism product that could be promoted to the Asean neighbors.

"With the success of the ATF many Aseans are interested in Davao and its allures like the cultural festivals and natural attractions," he said.

He also urged the local travel operators to explore the possibility of packaging tours to the Asean neighbors to expose Davaoeños to the attractions of other cities and other countries in the region like the Borobodur and Java, the Angkor in Cambodia or the Kampong in Brunei.

kiretoce

February 8th, 2006, 06:18 PM

This thread is full. Please continue posting and discussions at Philippine Tourism Thread III. (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=7305654#post7305654) Thanks! :colgate:

:lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock:

kiretoce

February 8th, 2006, 06:42 PM

Philippine tourism: In Search for a Place to Retire
By Rowena dela Rosa Yoon

Retiring abroad? For some good reasons, many active middle-aged Koreans can now consider the benefits of spending old age overseas. Higher cost of living in Korea offers a choice to look for an alternative place that promises a much more affordable lifestyle yet they can still enjoy the same degree of luxury and comfort.

From housing to medical and dental care, education of dependents, and endless leisure opportunities to boot — these could be given away all for the good price.

Korea is one of the world's fastest ageing society, and the economically well-offs are now more aware of how to enjoy life. They take overseas trips; however, many are still dreaming of spending longer holidays in the tropics where sunny beaches can perennially provide escape from the biting cold spell of long winter months.

Staying overseas indefinitely is no longer an elusive dream. In fact, retirees can now stay overseas for as long as they want. This has been made possible by various foreign retirement programs offered by a number of countries who want rake in profits generated by retiree dollar deposits.

Countries in the tropical zone boast of awe-inspiring natural vistas of lush mountains and pristine beaches, luxurious and sprawling golf courses, and diverse cultural entertainment.

Not bad. After all, moving into a new destination opens a new chapter wherein one can think again how to live better — or to live life to the fullest.

Mr. Kim In-Dok, 60, for instance, savors life as an expatriate retiree in the archipelago of 7,100 islands — the Philippines. As a retired civil engineer, he owns a property in Tagaytay, about 200 km south of Manila, where he lives with his wife in peace and contentment within the environ of lake and mountains — a sharp contrast with the hectic life they used to have in the bustling district of Gangnam in southern Seoul. Their two children are already grown up and are away.

Mr. Kim and his wife have been living in the Philippines for 15 years — and so far, so good. Being an engineer who was involved in various projects in the Middle East, he got his first encounter with a few Philippine civil engineering projects, including building of roads and highways, in early 1990's. He says he is most comfortable with Filipino hospitality. "Filipinos are basically kind-hearted with sincere personality," he says.

Besides, he likes the weather. He shuns himself from the freezing temperature in Korea which, at times, plunges to as low a minus degree Celcius. In Philippines, it's warm and yes, "hot," throughout the year being in the equatorial zone. But living in Tagaytay, the heat is complimented by cool breeze coming from the hills, mountains, and rice fields.

Coming to Manila, he gets involved with various social activities. Some of them are organized by the Korean Embassy giving him opportunity to mingle with other Korean expatriates. At times, he serves as a tour guide to arriving Koreans. Depending on the visitors' options, Mr. Kim can pinpoint at a snap of his fingers regions in the Philippines offering specialized attractions.

If guests are gaga over water sports, he can bring them to snorkeling and scuba diving regions from north to south of the archipelago, probably from Batanes to Tawi-tawi. No need to wonder why Mr. Kim is fascinated with scuba diving. Scuba diving buffs have been exhilarated with the fact that underwater scenes in the Philippines are quite diverse. One website reads: There is a "biodiversity in the undersea sanctuaries in Anilao and Puerto Gallera, historic WW2 wrecks off of Coron Bay in Palawan, or the USS New York nestled under Subic Bay, diving with giant manta rays of Fortune Island, the majestic whale sharks in the ocean off of Sorsogon or the epic journey on a live-aboard to the pristine waters of Tubbataha Reef."

If guests are looking for white sand beaches with blue-green waters, he's quite familiar with Boracay like everybody else does or Cebu, for instance. Would he consider taking them to non-traditional and emerging destinations? "Oh, I've been to as far as the white beach in Pagudpud," he mused.

Although the mountainous regions of the Korean peninsula, comprising about 70 percent of the total land area, could be matchless compared to the less mountainous Philippine terrain, Mr. Kim can recommend where to hike like the way he used to when he's in Korea. He could probably recommend to hike Mt. Pulog in the Mountain Province, Mt. Halcon in Mindoro, the Philippines' highest peak — Mt. Apo in Davao, or probably hiking the dormant Taal Volcano which is closer to his home in Tagaytay.

Guiding newly arrived retirees is also one of his life's many pleasures. It is when more retirees come to the Philippines that he finds his circle of friends to be getting bigger. Mr. Kim said he and his peers are now building a Korean retiree community for networking. Every now and then, they gather; they dine or spend time for pure pleasure.

Mr. Kim is in perfect health. But if his health fails, the Philippines is well-reputed to have one of the world's most qualified medical professionals. Top medical institutions like Makati Medical Center or St. Luke's Medical Center, for example, have doctors and other medical staff who were educated and trained with world-class standards and their facilities do not lag behind well-developed nations.

You would surmise that he probably misses kimchi and other spicy Korean food like most Korean do even they are away for only a week. However, "I love sinigang and lechon!" he insists. He says he has learned how to love all kinds of Filipino dishes.

Food is not a big deal though. With the growing population of Korean communities in the Philippines, there have been a growing number of Korean groceries and restaurants sprouting up in the metropolitan areas and major cities. Think of Korea House or Korean Palace along Adriatico St. in Malate, or Shilla chain of restaurants in a number of places. There are more eateries that are constantly changing names along major streets of the metropolis. Kimchi has, likewise, become a common stuff in major groceries, including the retail giant, SM.

The English language is another reason why he chose to retire in the Philippines. With only three-and-a-half flight from Incheon to Manila, Mr. Kim has been speaking the language everyday the way he could have been doing in farther places where English is spoken.

A total of about 1,305 Korean retirees including their spouses are now in the Philippines, as of end 2005 making Koreans ranked third in retiree registration trailing behind Taiwan with 3,100 and the Peoples Republic of China with 3,017, respectively.

Retirees have a wide range of options where to reside—condo unit in the metropolis or suburban areas, subdivision in major cities, farm, beach resort, and country club. Condominium units are located in Makati, Malate, Quezon City, Pasay, Cebu, Laguna, Subic, Batangas, and list is endless.

Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) expressed confidence that more retirees are coming to choose the Philippines. In 2005, annual number of retirees was at its highest marking 584 retirees and a total enrolment of 1,259 Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRVisa) holders representing 39 percent increase in principal retirees and 35 percent increase in total enrolment compared to a year earlier. This development has generated foreign exchange into the Philippine economy of about $33.9 million, up $8.2 million or 32 percent higher than 2004.

The benefits are many, including multiple re-entry and indefinite stay, travel tax exemptions, business and work upon issuance of Alien Employment Permit (AEP), education of two dependents below 20 years of age, and deposit can be converted into investment after issuance of SRRVisa.

Once an application is approved, a retiree is given the SRRVisa, a special non-immigrant resident visa that provides holders with multiple-entry and indefinite stay status in the Philippines.

Required dollar time deposit varies according to age. For 35 to 49 years old, a US$ 75,000.00 is required, while those from 50 and above, deposit must be US$ 50,000.00.

Retired ambassadors and foreign military personnel are also qualified to enroll in the program for a time deposit of $1,500.00 and $50,000.00, respectively. Former Filipino nationals who have lived overseas and wish to return home are welcome with open arms as well.

The are documentation needed in the process including submission of application forms, passports, family records in lieu of birth and marriage certificates, medical and police clearances, photos, and certification of bank dollar account time deposit. Comprehensive application guidelines can be accessed through the PRA website at www.plra.gov.ph

PRA has been mandated to attract foreign nationals and former Filipino citizens to retire in the Philippines since 1985. Attached to the Bureau of Investment (BOI), its thrust is to help accelerate socio- economic development by foreign currency reserve through attractive package — "best quality of life to foreign retirees."

The agency offers various services to retirees including SRRVisa application and investment and other visa assistance. Its Resident Retiree Service Center (RRSC) helps applicants get SRRVisa with the least possible hassle and to help retirees address their needs upon their arrival.

There are other services like free assistance in obtaining medical examination clearance with PRA's accredited clinic, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance (in lieu of the police clearance from the applicant's home country), extension of temporary visitor's visa, downgrading of other visas to temporary visitor's visa, and status follow-up of remitted dollar deposit.

As far is investment is concerned, PRA can assists in pre-processing and evaluation of the application for the conversion of the dollar time deposit into an investment, annotation of the PRA restriction on the title representing the investment, and processing and approval of the investment application.

Investment options are wide range— from the purchase of a condominium unit to subscription of shares of stocks in a non-traded Philippine corporation, purchase of shares of stock in existing corporations registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and selected corporations traded in the Philippine Stock Exchange, long-term lease of a parcel of land or house and lot, construction of a residential unit on a leased parcel of land, and purchase of proprietary shares in golf clubs.

The agency also provides assistance in securing a Philippine driver's license, applying for an Alien Employment Permit (AEP), obtaining a Tax Exemption Certificate (TEC) for tax-free importation of household goods and personal effects, extending the validity of the tax-free importation privilege, filing of the TEC with the Bureau of Customs, getting a permit for the importation of pet/s from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), facilitating the enrollment of dependents in any school in the Philippines, and providing free legal advice and assistance on general matters related to the SRRVisa.

With the government's full support to the PRA's foreign retiree program, retirees can be sure that when they arrive in the Philippines and decide to stay, they have come to find what they have been looking for — how to spend the rest of their life.

Mr. Kim has already made the Philippines him home and he is going to stay without turning back. In fact, "I like Tagaytay better than Gangnam," he professes with a generous smile.

He must have been unknowingly echoing what the famous suspense-thriller writer Agatha Christie said: "I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming ... suddenly you find — at the age of 50, say — that a whole new life has opened before you." Mr. Kim was younger than that and he exactly found a new life — richer and fuller — that has opened before him.

It's probably an exaggeration, but for sure, he will agree.

Skyblade

February 10th, 2006, 12:06 AM

Travel Tour Expo
Link to the article (http://www.mb.com.ph/archive_pages.php?url=http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/02/10/OPED2006021055926.html)

THE largest trade and consumer event of the travel industry starts today at the Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City. Travel Tour Expo 2006 (TTE ’06), now on its 13th year, brings together local and international travel agencies, tour operators, airline and cruise operators, hotels, resorts, theme parks, travel product suppliers, and tourism promotion organizations in an event that is the ultimate one-stop-shop for travelers.

With the theme "Travel Lifestyle: Experience the Difference!’’ TTE ’06 will have over 300 booths providing information and discounts on tickets, cruises, and tour packages to various domestic and foreign destinations. Product presentations, daily raffle draws, entertainment, games, and surprises await TTE visitors.

Organized by the Philippine Travel Agencies Association as part of its 25th anniversary celebration, in cooperation with the Department of Tourism and other agencies, TTE ’06 will give attention to both local and foreign destinations. On the local side, participating firms will showcase Boracay’s white sands and nightlife, Cebu’s charm, Tagaytay’s ideal location and cool weather, Laoag and Vigan as the most accessible to tourists from China; the investment havens of Subic and Clark, Southern Tagalog’s hot springs, beaches, and spas, diving in Palawan and Puerto Galera, and many other attractions all over the country. Foreign destinations include the equally multicultural sites in Southeast Asia, the favored destinations of North America, and the religious pilgrimages and cultural tours in Europe.

We congratulate the participants and organizers of the Travel Tour Expo 2006 and wish them success in all their endeavors.

rowell_sk

February 10th, 2006, 12:23 AM

We should boost our tourism on advertisements and infrastructures to overtake Thailand. Here's why.

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=50776&highlight=palawan
Hey, Tiger...

Pesonally, I think the place is a biatch to get to, but that's why it's so great. It's not overrun with tourists. The place is pristine. It puts Thailand to shame, in my opinon, for clear water, coral and beaches. Just too bad the food in the Phils wasn't as good as Thai food. But those small planes scare the Schit outta me.

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=17729&highlight=palawan
've been to both and here are a couple of observations:

1. The prices are generally the same in both countries for food and hotels.
The Philippines might be just a bit more, but not too much.

2. Thailand is a lot more exotic/strange/mytic because of the budhist influence. You'll see a lot of wats (temples) and monks and statues of Buddah.

3. Both have beautiful beaches

4. The Philippines speak better English. In fact, it's a very nice break from Korea mentally/emotionally because everything is written in English. They also speak Tagalog, but really, it's a lot closer to being home than Thailand is.

5. If you want to do snorkeling/scuba, I'd go to the Philippines.

6. If you want to party, I'd go to Thailand.

7. I want to go back to both countries. They are both really great places to visit. You'll have a great time in either place.

marites4

February 10th, 2006, 02:00 AM

yeah thailand's natural resources are slowly being destroyed by mass tourism. Which is why i don't think mass tourism is good for the PHIls.
The other thing thailand has over is their great tourism infrastructure and you know ang flavor of the day nang mga westerners ay temples, buddhism chiles and spices. The English speaking is a double edged sword because while some see that as a plus there are some who prefer the more exotic non westernized atmosphere. Pero ang Singapore wala namang natural resources nakakaattract ng miillions of tourists . Kase malines at maayos ang infra. Kaya ayusin lang ang infra naten, bawasan ang mga tao magtatake off den ang tourism. But i don't think massive toursim can be handled by our govt. because they have no clue about preserving our very own bread and butter which is our natural sceneries and resources.

normandb

February 10th, 2006, 05:27 AM

bump

marites4

February 10th, 2006, 05:37 AM

mmm... why was it bumped

normandb

February 10th, 2006, 05:41 AM

mmm... why was it bumped

I want to subscribed to the thread. Kasi naman ang bilis umabot sa post 500, baka malingap ka lang close na agad :D. Bump means subscribed kasi I don't have anything to share.

Skyblade

February 10th, 2006, 09:25 AM

PTAA vows to beef up RP tourism industry
By ARLENE DABU-FOZ
Link (http://www.mb.com.ph/archive_pages.php?url=http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/02/10/TOUR2006021055980.html)

Jose C. Clemente III, newly-elected president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA), urged his industry colleagues, particularly the group’s new officers and trustees, to actively take part in meeting with the challenges of the times to reach a collective goal – a stronger, successful Philippine tourism industry.

Clemente spoke before a jampacked crowd made up of the diplomatic corps, government officials, travel and trade executives and various tourism association leaders during the year’s first general membership meeting and PTAA induction of officers held recently at the grand ballroom of the Hotel Intercontinental Manila in Makati City.

He is a scion of a very prominent couple who were themselves major stakeholders and achievers in the tourism industry, the late Jose Clemente Jr. and lawyer Alejandra C. Clemente. Clemente III’s expertise will be invaluable now that he has taken over from PTAA immediate past president Marciano C. Ragaza.

Clemente lauded Ragaza’s sheer will power to direct the PTAA to new heights and for setting the house in order during his two-year term. "What he has accomplished during his term cannot be quantified," said the successor.

With Rep. Edgar Chatto as inducting officer, the PTAA officers for 2006 are: Jose C. Clemente III (Rajah Tours Phils., Inc.) – president; Ma. Bella M. Cantada (Frontline 7 Travel, Inc.) – vice president for administration; Maucie L. Cuna (Morelia Tours & Travel, Inc.); Chiqui C. Teotico (T.R.I.P.S. Travel) – president for inbound; Ma. Paz R. Alberto (Ark Travel Express, Inc.) – secretary general; Natalia P. Francisco (DynaTravel, Inc.) – assistant secretary -general; Lulu V. Velasco (Velca Travel & Tours, Inc.) – treasurer; Mary T. Chua (Sunhong Phils. Travel & Tours, Inc.) – assistant treasurer; Paul L. So (Action Holidays Tour Corp.) – auditor; Norma D. Cacho (North Star International Travel, Inc.) – PRO; Teodoro R. Bautista (Roundtrip Tours & Travel Co.), John Paul M. Cabalza (Cencorp, Inc.), Sylvia L. Sangco (Philscan Travel & Tours, Inc.), Michelle D. Sierra (Travel Carousel, Inc.), Marlene D. Jante (Queenspoint Travel & Tours Corp.) – trustees; Marciano C. Ragaza (Travel Enterprise Corp) – ex-officio.

Clemente said that challenges continue to pose a threat against PTAA’s earnest effort. But with strong and united members PTAA will beat the odds and pull off the goals they have outlined for the benefit of the entire industry.

Cantada, PTAA vice president for administration, also advised the PTAA members to get more involved, especially in their mission to educate their fellow members on the unique and important role that each one plays in the industry as key pathways to professional success and personal achievement.

"As individual agencies we have two major aims in joining the PTAA. We want to meet leaders and decision-makers in the travel and tourism industry where we can foster closer relationships so we can strengthen our businesses. Second, we hope to be united with major players in the industry to be more effective in professionalizing our services and be globally competitive. And if united, we have a louder voice in lobbying for our rights," asserted Cantada.

Advising his colleagues to stand up, be heard and make a difference meant Clemente urged the PTAA members to assert their rights as travel agents, not to idly stand by and be dictated terms by certain organizations without proper consultations.

Clemente vowed to work hand-in-hand with both Houses of Congress – the Senate and House of Representatives – for the passage of the Tourism Bill sponsored by Senator Richard Gordon and Rep. Chatto.

"This move ensures the tourism industry’s rightful place as a prime engine for the country’s economic growth. Tourism has long been overlooked as a revenue source, but with this bill, we hope to spur trade and industry progress as it also bids to streamline the Department of Tourism (DoT) operations," explained Clemente.

With the economic crises, gripping many Asian countries and other parts of the world, tourism became an important economic sector for the Philippines, said Cantada.

"The Philippines with its many natural assets – beautiful beaches, islands, unique flora and fauna, pristine rainforest and renowned wildlife conservation centers, has all the ingredients to become a major tourism destination in this region," Cantada beamed.

The main challenge though, Cantada said, is how the Philippines will stay competitive. "We have to work hard to ensure our products are up to standard, that we deliver value for money and we have the underlying infrastructure support in place to ensure that we deliver what we promise."

Aiming to be globally competitive, Cantada pointed out, PTAA can be responsive to the needs of the international market by mounting buyers-meet-sellers events like the forthcoming 13th PTAA Travel Tour Expo slated Feb. 10-12.

She also said tourism can build a foundation for global peace. "When we all work together to revitalize the Philippine market, we are making a contribution no matter how small to the development of the global tourism industry and to peace worldwide. Let us take the first step together and with our collective efforts, let us lift this association higher among the ranks of Asia’s most outstanding travel/trade organizations."

Finally, Clemente called anew on his colleagues to get involved in running the association by joining committees and volunteer to the best of their talents and skills for the benefit of the tourism industry. "Don’t be a passive member, stand up and make a difference so that we can hurdle even the toughest challenge there is so that PTAA will become a stronger association."

Skyblade

February 11th, 2006, 03:36 AM

DoT sets Phil-Korean travel event in Manila
Link (http://www.mb.com.ph/archive_pages.php?url=http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/02/11/TOUR2006021156071.html)

The Department of Tourism (DoT) is staging the first-ever Philippine-Korean Travel Exchange (Philkotex) in Manila on March 16.

DoT Secretary Joseph Ace H. Durano said Philkotex would bring in about 60 pre-screened Korean travel agents to meet with Philippine tourism suppliers specializing in diving, golf, and meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE).

"The event will precede our participation in the Korea World Travel Fair and will be held in lieu of the usual Philippine Sales Mission to Korea," Durano added.

"The Korean travel agents will be hosted for a one-day pre-arranged meeting with Philippine sellers of tourism products," he explained.

Taking advantage of the Korean buyers’ presence in the country, the DoT will host two-nights / three-days optional tours from March 17 to 19 to popular destinations including Manila and environs, Subic/Clark, Palawan, Cebu/Bohol, Boracay, and Davao.

Each tour will be open to a maximum of 12 buyers with complimentary domestic air and land transfers, accommodations inclusive of three meals, and other costs involved in the tour program.

According to DOT’s Team Korea Head ******* Basco Ebron, Philkotex was conceived to afford local sellers the opportunity to meet Korean buyers in the Philippines.

"At the same time, Philkotex offers Korean buyers a first-hand experience of the warmth of a Philippine destination and its people," Ebron said.

Philippine sellers interested in participating in the Philkotex may contact Mavic Sevilla and Andy Pagaduan of Team Korea (tel. no. 02-5257320 and 5259318 loc. 293, 240 & 270).

"There will be no participation charges involved, but acceptance of interested sellers will be on a first-come-first-served basis," Ebron said.

The DoT’s focus on sports and leisure for Philkotex is based on the continued increase of Korean outbound holiday-goers, which rose by 20.7 percent, outpacing the 16 percent total growth in Korean outbound departures in January-September 2005 from the year-ago level.

"Pilkotex will, therefore, sustain the momentum and build on the gains of our tourism campaign in 2005," Durano said.

That campaign brought in 481,397 Koreans to the Philippines, up 27.6 percent from 377,217 in 2004, according to statistics from the Korean National Tourism Organization (KNTO).

That 27.6-percent hike made the Philippines post the highest growth rate in Korean arrivals among Southeast Asian countries in 2005.

rowell_sk

February 12th, 2006, 12:26 AM

Pinoy internet scam dupes foreigners

By Arnold Erediano

A DUTCH and a Briton are the latest victims of an Internet gang preying on tourists by luring them to five-star resorts in Boracay, Siargao, Bohol and other exotic sun-and-sea destinations. Their dream vacations melted under the tropical sun when they arrived in the country to find their travel arrangements were mere figments of the imagination.

An alleged syndicate using the business name DFA Travel and Tours turned out to be non-existent when the travelers turned up in Manila, police said yesterday

Glenn Van Widt, 43, who arrived from Holland last month, was expecting to see beautiful beach resorts in Bohol and Cebu, but ended up nursing a headache as he appeared at the Pasay City Police Station.

Widt, who works at The Netherlands Justice Department, told police that he was enticed by photos of beautiful beaches in the Philippines posted on the Internet through a website called, Yes Payment.

Yes Payment allegedly referred the tourist to the DFA Travel and Tours that will facilitate travel within the Philippines.

Lured by the white beaches and colorful coral reefs, the Dutch tourist transferred an equivalent amount of P42,263 from his credit card to the travel agency through the Internet.

Aside from the travel expenses from Manila to the provinces, Widt also paid for accommodations at the Best Western Asto Hotel in Manila, The Metro Centre Hotel in Bohol and The Golden Peak Hotel in Cebu.

Excited to have a paradise experience, the Dutch arrived in the country on Jan. 7 but ended up spending more money because he could no longer contact Yes Payment in the phone number given to him.

When he went to the office of DFA Travel and Tours on Burgos St., Pasay City, he was shocked to see an empty room.

Due to a strong urge to see the beaches he saw on the Internet, the Dutch tourist still chose to reach his destinations at his own expense instead of wasting time running after those who gypped him.

It was only after getting enough fun in the resort that he decided to report the matter to the police.

Widt was not the first one who fell prey to the modus operandi of DFA Travel and Tours.

Joanne Caldwell, 34, an English teacher based in Porkfulham, Hong Kong, arrived in the country last Jan. 29 to visit the Blue Mango Resort in Boracay.

Like Widt, she discovered the island resort on the Internet and started transacting business with Yes Payment and DFA Travel and Tours. She sent 5,723 Hong Kong, dollars through a Western Union money transfer to the travel agency's alleged representative identified as Susana Torregue.

Confident that she would reach her dream place soon, Caldwel arrived in the country but ended up spending more money because the travel agency office turned to be an empty room.

She also had to pursue her white beach dream before talking to the police.

Both Caldwell and Widt, to their dismay, learned from staff members in the resorts they visited that there had been many tourists before them who suffered the same fate.

Sensing that this could be another organized crime syndicate, police authorities brought the matter to the National Bureau of Investigation for a deeper probe.

sandrin

February 12th, 2006, 07:18 PM

Boracay needs new dev't plan-study
Posted: 11:48 AM | Feb. 12, 2006

THE RESORT island of Boracay will realize its full potential as a "world class" tourism destination to rival premier locations like Bali or Phuket once an updated development plan is put in place, according to a study commissioned by the International Finance Corp. (IFC).
The study was made by a team of Philippine and German consultants contracted by the IFC, the investment arm of the World Bank, to conduct an analysis of investment opportunities on Boracay.
The study suggested that a stronger strategic tourism marketing and promotion effort and crucial changes in tourism infrastructure would make Boracay a better "world class" island resort.
"There is an urgent need to update the 1990 Boracay Master Development Plan and to redesign the marketing strategy to make the island more visible and accessible to tourists from around the world," said IFC country manager Vipul Bhagat.
The study was funded by the German state of Bavaria. The team included local and international specialists from a wide range of disciplines, from sustainable tourism to wastewater management.
Winfried Werner of Obermeyer, an urban and regional planning expert, headed the team's German members while the Filipinos were led by former tourism secretary Mina Gabor, president of the Philippine Small and Medium Business Development Foundation.
The study said the development plan must be improved to address the critical issues facing Boracay, and tourism-related investments must be packaged accordingly.
These issues include migration, zoning, lack of health facilities and medical personnel, visual and noise pollution, solid waste water management, energy supply, and intra-island and inter-island transport.
Considered critical to any development plan for Boracay is the improvement of Caticlan town as a major commercial and business district to ease the strain on Boracay's resources from the influx of migrants and tourists.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
At least something i being done to save Boracay. The Germans luv the island.

Manila-X

February 13th, 2006, 07:20 AM

From Frommers

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/thephilippines/2416010001.html

This is the introduction page to The Philippines

Introduction to The Philippines

The Philippines has a marketing problem, and, in the wake of recent events, foreign tourism here has dissolved to a trickle. Lacking the mystery of Malaysia or Indonesia; the rugged allure of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia; and the tourist mecca atmosphere that is Thailand, the Philippines have a difficult time convincing travelers that they should actually go. A long history of political and economic instability and recent insurgency movements and terrorism in the southwestern islands further relegates travel to those on business, those connected with an embassy, and those traveling on behalf of a mission or simply there by accident. In this section, we offer some historical and cultural information, a listing of the essentials in Manilla, the capital, and a few of the resort destinations that dot the magnificent coastline of this vast archipelago. Independent rural travel is left to the very hearty, and safety should be one of your primary concerns when making a trip to this troubled land. There is but little infrastructure outside of the larger cities.

heathcliff

February 13th, 2006, 08:41 AM

Here is a letter which I recently received in my email. It rightly hits the Philippine media for practically undoing the work of the government to promote tourism abroad. Most people of other countries who have no real idea of what the Philippines is like would be apt to receive ugly and false impressions of the country by just seeing the ugly images of the Philippines constantly paraded on Filipino news channels seen abroad.

_____________________________

october 26,2004

hello there...i am a filipino living in the bay area in california. we have a big filipino community here so we get to watch filipino shows on tv daily. for those who have TFC (the filipino channel) they can watch tv programs 24 hours a day, but for those who don't subscribe to TFC like me, i can only watch the Philippines Tonight on channel 69 from 5 to 5:30pm and TV Patrol on channel 8 from 6 to 7pm.

i am deeply disturbed by how irresponsible our philippine media can be. our tv networks should realize that filipinos are NOT the only ones who can watch their shows aired in the states, europe, middle east and asia.

everyday we are bombarded with bad news from the philippines. our tv networks have the duty to report the news to us. but what bothers me most is why do they keep on showing OLD FOOTAGES of abu sayyaf rebels raising their guns in the air, philippine soldiers fighting the muslim rebels, armed npa guerrillas, old footages of bombings, coup attempts, military tanks, mass demonstrations, assassinations and kidnappings while reporting the news. is it really necessary? are the filipino people dumb that we have to be reminded of how armed npa and abu sayyaf guerrillas look like? what good does it do to show those images on tv but to remind the filipino people and for the whole world to see the chaos going on in our country. my point is, if they don't have any new pictures to show, then don't show any.

just imagine this scenario: you are an american who just came home from work. the first thing you do to relax is to watch tv. you start flipping the channels from channel 2, then 3,4,5,6,7 then channel 8 and what do you see?..philippine soldiers fighting the rebels or another bombing in manila!! for us filipinos who watches filipino news programs daily, we know that those are old footages, but for an american who was just flipping the channel, he would think that there's another bombing going on!
every country has its own problem but it is contained in their own country. what's different about us filipinos is we speak english, we report the news in english PLUS we show those images on tv, therefore the whole world knows what's happening to our country.
even if you cannot understand english (because tfc is also aired in europe, middle east and asia) when you see those images on tv, you would think there's another bombing going on in manila. tv patrol reports the news complete with sound effects like an action movie so one would think and feel that the philippines is in the brink of war!!!
here in the bay area, we have a tv station called International Channel on channel 69. i watch news programs from different countries like korea, greece, italy, iran, germany, france, russia, etc to compare their style of reporting. i don't understand what they are saying and could be reporting a murder or a dead kidnapped victim. i don't get the feeling that something gruesome just happened. i do understand news from britain and india because those are in english. india has the same rebellion problem like us and they report it on tv almost daily but they never, NEVER show images of their military fighting their rebels. the tv anchorman would just read the news on tv.

our department of tourism is spending millions of pesos to promote our country abroad. i have seen those one minute commercials on tv in the past. can you imagine how much those one minute commercials cost?
AND HERE ARE OUR FILIPINO NEWS PROGRAMS DOING JUST THE OPPOSITE 24 HOURS A DAY FOR FREE. what irks me most is they keep on showing footages of the slums of manila. all filipinos know how the manila slums look like. you see it everyday!! so what good does it do to show it on tv? it only shows to the whole world that the philippines is just one big waste dump!!!
ask anyone abroad how the philippines look like and they would say it's full of shanty towns and go-go bars. show them pictures of our modern skyscrapers, shopping malls or beach resorts and they would say it's somewhere in asia like singapore, malaysia or thailand.

there's a saying that A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. how can you convince a foreigner that the philippines is a safe and beautiful place to visit, if all they see and hear on tv are the ugly side of the philippines? do you know that colombia and mexico has more kidnappings than the philippines and yet they have more tourist arrivals than us? search the internet for mexican kidnappings and you'll see mexico is the 2nd highest kidnappings in the world, but still americans go there to vacation. american tourists have been kidnapped and killed there but americans don't know this because we don't see it on tv. mexico has a huge tourism industry. indonesia who is more corrupt than us and have the same bombing incidents like us, have more tourist arrivals than the philippines.

i found this website nationmaster.com and listed USA as the highest crime rate in the world. the philippines is not even on the list of 60 countries. living in the states is more dangerous because of the all the serial killers roaming around, snipers, school shootings, gang shootings, ###### perverts, serial rapists and mental patients loose on the streets. but we still feel very safe because we are not constantly reminded of the dangers around us.
just the other day i was watching tv patrol when they showed on tv a newspaper headline "RP 11TH MOST CORRUPT COUNTRY" all filipino knows about our corrupt officials so what good does it do to show it on tv? it only showed to the whole world that ALL filipino officials are corrupt. the 2004 corruption perception index report wasn't even shown or discussed in our tv programs here or was it even printed in our newspapers, and here was our filipino news program broadcasting it on tv. india scored just a little better than us but you don't see india announcing it on tv.
search the internet for corruption in india you'll see that they have the same corruption problem like us, and yet they get almost all the outsourcing jobs. the filipinos are just as talented and creative like the indians. american companies know this. our literacy rate is 95% compared to india's 65%. we have the cultural advantage because of our long historical ties with the u.s. we have the advantage over china, thailand, malaysia or vietnam because we speak english. we are the 3rd largest english speaking country in the world. we even have the religious connection with u.s and europe because we are also christians like them. so what else is keeping the philippines from being recognized as a top outsourcing destination? according to computerworld and offshoring digest it is "the bad media image" of the philippines as the single most challenge the local software developers have to overcome.

i'm not saying that the philippine media should stop reporting any bad news. philippine newspapers can print all the mudslinging and graphic pictures of murdered victims they want. i just think that the philippine television should be more responsible because it can reach the farthest ends of the earth. tv patrol was just voted the best in phil news reporting. i can only imagine how much worse the other news programs are. philippines tonight and anc business news, that caters to the more sophisticated filipino are also guilty of showing those images on tv.

why can't the tv networks focus on the good side of the filipino people? they would even show on tv petty crimes like cell phone snatching. italy has more pickpockets and all tourists going there are aware of it. you don't see italy broadcasting it on tv.
if the philippine news programs have nothing more to report, why don't they just use the time by showing the many beautiful places in the philippines, and help the philippine government save millions of pesos. shows like good morning america and nbc today often features the different tourist spots in the u.s. or ordinary americans who excelled in their jobs. it doesn't hurt their ratings.

i think that the tv networks should create good role models for the filipino youths to follow. all they see and hear are our crooked politicians and criminals. they can feature our software engineers or people working in call centers. they can feature people in the science and medical field. some doctors pledged that they will never leave the philippines and practice abroad. who are they? they can feature our filipino nurses still working there. they can feature the best teachers and professors we have. i think these people who chose to stay are the real heroes. i have heard of gawad kalinga, a civic group that builds houses for the poor. who are they? how do they do it? they can feature expatriates living in our country and ask them why they decided to make the philippines their home. who are these people?
just the other day i found this news in the internet that texas instruments is planning to invest $300 million dollars in our country for the next 3 years. that's P5.6 billion plus a year! isn't this news worthy of a tv coverage?
i read at reuters.com that there's a "mall of asia" being built which is supposed to be the biggest mall in the philippines. where is this? how big is it? i'm just amazed that the philippines being a poor country would have 2 or 3 malls in every cities and even in the provinces. why can't our news programs feature these places and show to the whole world that we are NOT just the land of smoky mountains?
yesterday i read at asia.news.yahoo.com that japan is investing $100 million dollars to build a hospital for japanese people who wants top-quality but low-cost health care.

you see, there are still some good news from the phils but we just don't hear about it.
you may have read these news in the business section of your newspaper, but the article is too small that you hardly noticed it. how many filipinos have access to a computer? how many filipinos can afford to buy a newspaper these days? if you didn't read it in the papers then you just missed it.
this is where the philippine tv and indian tv differs. for india, every investments in their country is big news. they have the same rebellion problems like us but is given less importance in the news. in the philippines "all bad news is good news" for the newspaper and television networks because they get all the money from subscriptions and advertisements, and we the filipino people get the bad news because we just missed out on foreign investments to generate the economy.

give a small child all the freedom he wants and he grows up wild, delinquent and irresponsible. just as our parents had the power and the right to discipline us when we were children, i think that the filipino people also has the power and the right to discipline our philippine media.

you can pressure the tv networks to tone down their reporting by writing to them. threaten them that you will stop watching their shows. WRITE THEM LETTERS, SEND EMAILS, OR GIVE THEM A CALL. you can threaten the presidents and ceo's of all the companies advertising in their shows that you will STOP BUYING THEIR PRODUCTS, if they don't put pressure on the tv networks. i think this is a more effective way of protesting instead of going to the streets and cause traffic jams. i think that this is the only way our tv news programs will listen and clean up their act. just as our parents gave us a little spanking every time we misbehaved, i think you have to hit them where it hurts the most...their wallets.

we have no control of what the abu sayyaf, npa or ji will do next. we have no control of when the next bombing or kidnapping will be. but what WE DO HAVE IN CONTROL IS WHAT WE SEE ON TV. every time you watch the news on tv, ask yourselves these questions: will it do more damage to our country by reporting it on tv or will it improve the philippines' image? are you giving those terrorists the satisfaction of spreading terror over the land?
our tv networks just gave them all the publicity they want. i think they can do damage control by not reporting it morning noon and night, instead they chose to sensationalize the news for ratings.

we filipinos often say "huwag kang maingay, nakakahiya sa kapitbahay" well, certainly not this time. we let the philippine television shout and wave our dirtiest laundry full of holes for all our neighbors to see and we filipinos are not doing something about it.

i am just a simple housewife and i can only write in simple english. my grammar is not perfect. you may laugh at it but i don't really care anymore. all i know in my heart and in my conscience, that i did something by writing this letter. now i ask you, what can you do for the filipino people?

sincerely,

Bess
santa clara,california

P.S.
if you share the same opinion, PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS OR GOVERNMENT OFFICES YOU CAN THINK OF. you may print or fax this letter for filipinos who have no access to a computer. if you have a different view, i would love to hear from you at bess6272@yahoo.com
thank you very much.

OtAkAw

February 13th, 2006, 02:40 PM

Espma

February 13th, 2006, 02:43 PM

^^ i know the opening lines are already quite demeaning.....a bit insulting, why did they bother promoting it at all?!!

Espma

February 13th, 2006, 02:46 PM

3-day tourism festival launched in Subic

First posted 02:27am (Mla time) Feb 12, 2006
By Ansbert Joaquin
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on page 19 of the February 12, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

OLONGAPO CITY-A grand three-day tourism festival started here and in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone on Friday to push a sustainable and ecologically sound tourism and vacation haven in the Asia-Pacific region.

Dubbed the "Subik! Subik! Festival," the three-day event boasts of the best destinations and locations in the country for a wide range of adventure and ecotourism activities.

The festival also highlights the tourist attractions of Bataan, Olongapo City, Subic Bay Freeport and Zambales.

It will feature exhibits, familiarization tours in Bataan, Zambales, Olongapo City and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, sports competitions, tourism seminars, a food display, a rave party and a grand parade and fireworks display. The activities end today (Sunday, Feb. 12).

"It is time that we be aware that there lies beautiful assets in our natural and human resources, for this brings forth appreciation, from which we shall develop an advocacy for the cause of ecotourism of the four areas," said George Lorenzana, chair of the Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau (GSBTB) and lead organizer of the event.

GSBTB is composed of various stakeholders from tourism council officials of the four areas to executives of major locators and business organizations.

"With strong advocacy in place, involvement is inevitable. This eventually drives us to develop and protect, be proud of and promote our destinations, our people and our culture to the world," Lorenzana said.

The events' highlight was a grand parade on Saturday that was participated in by Subic stakeholders.

Manila-X

February 14th, 2006, 06:23 AM

So much for a PROMOTION. What kind of rubbish is in that website, they should just close it, they don't even know half of what the country has.
"Lacking the mystery of Malaysia or Indonesia; the rugged allure of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia", What are they playing at comparing the country to these ones? "rugged allure" and OMG, to Laos and Cambodia, funny hahahaha!

It's better to write or e-mail Frommers.

here's their site
http://www.frommers.com

richard fischer

February 14th, 2006, 01:19 PM

It's better to write or e-mail Frommers.

here's their site
http://www.frommers.com

i wanted to reply to their stupidity, but now i myself seem to be stupid...
i could not find their email address.....can you help ?
we have to address to such bad critics !
salamat from germany.
richard

amigo32

February 14th, 2006, 11:14 PM

Try this one:
:)
http://www.frommers.com/contact_us/

normandb

February 15th, 2006, 01:42 AM

Urgent need to reorganize tourism industry

First posted 02:40am (Mla time) Feb 15, 2006
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on page A16 of the February 15, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

CERTAIN persons claiming to speak on behalf of the tourism industry have been criticizing Senate Bill No. 2138, the Tourism Act of 2005. (Inquirer, 2/7/06)

It is alleged that there’s no need to reorganize the tourism sector of the country. But what are the hard facts? Every single tourist brings in almost $1,000. Thailand and Malaysia receive 12 to 15 million visitors a year, generating up to $15 billion for their economies. Should we remain content with a target of 3 million arrivals and $3 billion for 2006 while we panic in paying our foreign debt and stabilizing the peso?

Even if our tourism grew by 20 percent in 2004, this is still behind Asia-Pacific’s 27 percent growth rate -- it is as irrelevant as our economy growing at 4 percent or 5 percent when our neighbors’ are growing at 8 percent. Even with that growth, our hotels are fully booked and are charging very high prices because of intense demand.

In the last two decades, Thailand, Malaysia and other countries
reorganized their tourism sectors.

Today, they reap the benefits of that reorganization. Our proposals follow some of the reforms and seek to do even more. We must regulate to offer a quality of service that is globally competitive. We must have a promotions effort that is well funded and truly makes the world know the beauty of our country. We have to develop quality tourism zones quickly so that we can accommodate more and more tourists while preserving our forests, beaches and historical sites. We need to aim for 10 million tourists in 10 years.

On these and other core reforms, there is broad consensus within the industry. All the major players in the industry, particularly those responsible for inbound tourist traffic, were invited to and participated in our committee hearings and technical working group meetings. (There were 14 such hearings and meetings conducted by the Senate tourism committee over the course of a year and a half.) To this day, they continue to work with us in refining and polishing this bill. Indeed, we brought it to the floor of the Senate precisely to emphasize its urgency and to concretize the points of debate.

I can confidently say that only a few points of contention remain. But I am more concerned with the irresponsibility of certain people who speak out against the bill, utterly ignoring all the checks and balances that are built into it.

This is the first time that a national policy for tourism is even being seriously discussed in the halls of Congress. We are 10 years behind the global boom of tourism. Now is not the time to go back to committee level, because this bill should have become law 10 years ago.
We emphasize that where tourism advances, poverty retreats. Those who seek to impede its advance do nothing to solve the problem of poverty.

SEN. RICHARD J. GORDON, Room 509, 5/F Senate of the Philippines, GSIS Bldg., Financial Center, Pasay City

bustero

February 15th, 2006, 04:11 AM

Go Dick Go
Run Dick Run
See Dick Play

normandb

February 15th, 2006, 04:13 AM

Go go go Dick c=3 :D

bustero

February 17th, 2006, 04:58 AM

From boo chanco's column today.

Tourism
Our series of columns on tourism has really captured the imagination of our readers. Here’s another e-mail from Dr. RBJ.

Let us limit the discussion to resort tourism, since our cities will not be able to compete as a tourist mecca in the forseeable future. As you pointed out, our beaches are indeed world class (superior to MOST of Cote d’ Azur) and we have lots of sun to go along with beach activities. But are we capable of competing in this global market, intellectually and culturally?

Good access and upscale hotels would enhance tourism. But there are other items that need sober thinking. The No. 1 item in the average Pinoy’s touristic agenda is SHOPPING. The last, if at all, is SUNBATHING and other beach activities. It is the exact opposite for international tourists.

There are many successful resort destinations that started with hardly any tourist-oriented infrastructure. The Carribean, the Bahamas, and even some European resort destinations, like the islands of Greece, Italy, and Spain, started this way. l visited Aruba, when it had one road, which actually disappeared in parts! It is probably the rule rather than the exception. Indeed, the whole world is dotted with such tourist spots. Boracay is just one prime example. As far as l know, Boracay was just another sleepy town, UNTIL some Germans discovered it!

Tourism is just another consumer-oriented industry. Thus, we should focus on what the MARKET wants and NOT what we think the market wants, based on what WE like to do. The average Pinoy bureaucrat, who l imagine would qualify as an average PINOY international tourist, does not have a clue, INSPITE of Boracay.

And sure enough, the international tourists over there are slowly disappearing, even as the infrastructure and the world class hotels are appearing ever so slowly. Thankfully, the local market, particularly the youth, is taking over the slack. Predictably the beaches are somewhat empty of sunbathers, as compared to the average international resort or even the Boracay of 10 years ago.

However, Cocomangas and Pier One are jampacked, at night! Boracay has become another Libis or Greenbelt with a beach! That’s not necessarily wrong, but there is a message there. A message, that all the resort owners of the other tourist spots, you mentioned, do not get. Well, except for Puerto Galera. Thanks to the Aussies and at least one Danish-Italian.
He

Skyblade

February 17th, 2006, 07:01 AM

Visitor arrivals hiked 13.5%: Tourism
Monday, February 13, 2006
By Hazel de Los Reyes and May Franzell Obieta
Link (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ilo/2006/02/13/news/visitor.arrivals.hiked.13.5.tourism.html)

THE visitor arrivals to the Philippines in 2005 has increased by 13.5 percent, Tourism Undersecretary for Culture Oscar Policarpio Palayab said.

Palabyab presented figures of the growth of tourism from its visitor arrivals from different countries like Spain, Mexico, China, Japan, Hong Kong, France US, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and others from the year 1994 to 2004 during the Western Visayas Tourism Summit held at Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center last Feb. 9 and 10, 2006.

In 2004, the growth of tourism increase were based on data from January to September 2003 to 2004.

"Tourism is being recognized by the administration as the vital economic engine, that is why the DOT is doing everything to save the Philippine economy by promoting the tourism industry," Palabyab said.

According to Palabyab, in the year 2006, they have projected 2.96 million of tourist arrivals. In 2007, it will grow at about 3.40 million, 3.88 million in 2008, in 2009 4.42 million and 5.00 million of tourists are expected to come to Philippines in the year 2010.

He added that they are targeting the big markets like China, Japan and Korea. Japan is known in its tagline as the Premium Resort Island while Korea is known to be the Product Development Female Target Segment.

In the Philippines, Negros is known for its sugar; Iloilo as the heart of the Philippines; Guimaras as the island that fits everyone's taste; Capiz as the seafood capital; Antique is where mountains meet the sea, and Aklan having its lasting paradise like Boracay.

"It is not difficult to be the top tourist destination if we just put our hearst and minds into it. Western Visayas has friendly people with pleasant disposition so the tourists expect the warmth hospitality of the Filipinos," Councilor Jed Mabilog said. He added that Western Visayas is one of the cleanest places in the country that is why many tourists come.

Apart from Palayab and Mabilog, those who came to the summit were Tourism Undersecretary Salvador Sarabia Jr., Antique Governor Salvacion Zaldivar Perez, DOT 6 Director Edwin Trompeta, Sammie Lim, Nielex Tupas, and Canadian Urban Institute's Francis Gentoral.
Delegates were from Aklan, Antique, Bacolod, Negros, Capiz, and Iloilo.

The Regional Development Council of Region V, Department of Tourism in the Philippines and Canadian Urban Institute sponsored the said tourism summit.

Espma

February 20th, 2006, 05:44 AM

Investments in hotels seen doubling to P4B
Posted: 3:52 PM | Feb. 19, 2006

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer

THE EXPECTED robust growth in tourist arrivals in the coming years is driving up investments in hotels and accommodation facilities.

For this year, Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano said investments in the hotel business were expected to double to about P4 billion from last year's P2 billion.

Durano said a Korean businessman had committed to invest P2 billion this year to put up a 700-room hotel in Mactan, Cebu City. Durano did not identify the Korean businessman but said he has businesses in Guam and New York. The investor, he said, was considering to have Hyatt, Sheraton or Intercon to manage the planned first-class hotel in Mactan.

"This Korean investor went to Cebu last year for the first time and fell in love with the place," said the tourism chief during a roundtable discussion with the Inquirer business staff.

Another Korean group has also invested P500 million in a golf course in Cagayan de Oro.

Koreans make up 18.5 percent of the tourists coming to the Philippines.

Banking giants Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. and Philippine National Bank are in the process of reopening two foreclosed hotels also in Cebu City. Metrobank will soon open Marco Polo Hotel while PNB will operate the foreclosed Coral Reef Hotel.

PNB owner Lucio Tan is expected to tap the Ana Hotel Group, which also manages the Century Park Hotel, to operate Coral Reef Hotel, said Durano.

On top of these, about 10 resort operators in Boracay are planning to put up tourist facilities in Coron, Palawan, he said.

Durano said additional rooms were needed to meet growing demand. Citing an inventory of four- and five-star tourist accommodation facilities in the country last year, Durano said the country has only 12,000 rooms available. This number can accommodate three million tourists a year. However, shortage occurs during peak seasons.

Including pension houses and motels, the number of rooms would be about 24,000. "By the end of 2007, we expect additional 2,000 rooms under the four- and five- star category," said Durano.

Durano said Cebu was the preferred destination of about half of the country's visitors, with Boracay coming in next.

Tourist arrivals in 2005 were placed at 2.8 million. The Department of Tourism expects the number to increase to at least 3 million this year.

Durano said 90 percent of these tourists preferred to stay in four- and five-star hotels.

The tourism chief is counting on Shangri-la Hotel and Discovery Suites which are putting up hotels in Boracay, as well as other projects in the pipeline to help address the expected surge in the demand for tourist accommodation facilities in the country.

However, hotel projects take at least two years to complete.

He said hotels in Metro Manila and in Cebu had been beefing up their capacity in anticipation of the steady increase in tourist arrivals, which were expected to reach five million in 2010.

DOT studies showed that each tourist spends here an average of $90 a day. Japanese travelers spend at least $10 more each.