With the downgrading of 16 cities and one municipality in NCR as well as 38 other areas to Alert Level 1 , the lowest level before normalcy, the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the travel trade has enhanced their efforts in welcoming the expected increase in tourists both on the domestic and inbound fronts.
DOT notes that this will further boost travel and tourism activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Department welcomes this development as it not only indicates that we are well on our way to recovery, but is also a testament to the all the work and sacrifices we have made to reach this point,” Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said.
The country has reopened its borders to tourists on February 10. Latest figures from DOT as of press time puts a total of 21,974 inbound tourist arrivals in different airports across the country from 10-19 February 2022.
“With this very good development, there is already the beginnings, the start of normalcy. We are feeling the arrival of foreign guests due to the opening of borders and MICE is starting to roll out,” revealed Fe Abling-Yu president of Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa).
Already, 22% of Philtoa active members have submitted the required business permit for the 2022 in preparation to opening their businesses again.
Domestic tourism has always borne the cudgels of jumpstarting tourism in the Philippines; but the focus of both private and government sectors, income-wise, is still on inbound tourism in the hope that there might actually be some.
In 2018, WTTC ranked the Philippines in 6th place on domestic travel and tourism spending, a growth of USD26.2 billion from 2011 to 2017, making the country 3rd among 185 states of highest growth rate.
Among the top destinations that remain ready and able to handle the expected influx, Yu named Boracay, Coron, and the Calabarzon region as the most popular. It is noted that Typhoon Odette has wrecked havoc in the provinces Surigao del Norte, Dinagat islands, Southern Leyte, Bohol, and Cebu and some of their establishments are still undergoing rehabilitation.
On the other hand, the country will host the WTTC Global Summit this coming April 20-22 and revive our inbound tourism efforts to coincide with the world’s top travel and tourism executives and influencers gathering with key government representatives to support global recovery efforts.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) lauds the given status. Under the more relaxed guidelines for areas under Alert Level 1, hotels can expect to attract more guests for staycation, dine-in services, and social events. Guests only have to show proof of full vaccination when entering the hotels.
PHOA President Arthur M. Lopez disclosed yesterday, “We expect higher revenue not only from Rooms but also from Food and Beverage operations and Social Events. Hopefully, Metro Manila stays under Alert Level 1 so we can sustain the momentum and help government with its recovery efforts for tourism. We also hope that other prime tourism destinations can be placed under a lower alert level so that our member hotels can generate a steadier revenue stream.” (Buddy G. Recio)