MANILA, Philippines — Should local officials start becoming tourists in their own country to help compensate for the dwindling number of foreign visitors?
With lost revenue from the travel ban on Chinese visitors estimated to reach P14.8 billion in February alone, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has suggested that local officials hold seminars and meetings out of town as a way to boost domestic tourism.
Undersecretary Arturo Boncato Jr. laid out a tactical campaign to boost domestic tourism as the country grappled with the effects of the novel coronavirus scare.
The Philippines imposed a ban on travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau following the 2019-nCoV outbreak, which has killed more than 1,000 at infected at least 43,000 in over 24 countries.
To boost domestic tourism and to show it was safe to travel locally, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on Monday night said President Duterte himself was set to fly to top destinations in the country starting next week.
The idea came from the President himself after meeting with key tourism industry leaders, including officials of air carriers Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Air Asia, the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) and Philippine Hotel Owners Association, according to Puyat.
Peak travel month
At the Senate, Boncato on Tuesday said February was the peak travel month for Chinese visitors, and the revenue generated by tourists from China, Hong Kong and Macau range from P9 billion to P14 billion.
One suggestion to boost domestic tourism was to urge local officials to consider out-of-town meetings, he said, adding that executives don’t have to stay in fancy digs.
“We have also proposed to the Office of the Secretary to engage the Philippine bureaucracy, especially if it’s in the approved budget of the government offices, to consider out-of-town meetings because this will stir the purchase of airline tickets, bookings of not really five star hotels,” Boncato said at the Senate’s tourism committee hearing.
But Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the Department of the Interior and Local Government should be consulted as local officials were discouraged from holding seminars outside their localities to save money.
The DOT suggestion was not consistent with the DILG directive, Drilon noted.
“I’m not objecting to that. What I’m just saying is you better coordinate with the DILG,”he said.
A May 2019 DILG memorandum on local travel states that it must not be expensive or should entail only minimum amounts.
Sen. Nancy Binay, who chairs the tourism committee, said the DILG might have to suspend its order against out-of-town seminars.
She said the DOT’s proposal could run up against policies of some local governments to keep themselves safe from the virus, “and it may turn out that the place you’re promoting does not want visitors.”
Other strategies
The other strategies to spur domestic tourism include airline seat sales and other travel deals, value added packages with hotels and marketing promotions led by the DOT and the Tourism Promotions Board, said Boncato.
The Philippines would be promoted as the hottest summer destination to international markets, he said.
By March 1, there will also be a nationwide Philippine shopping festival involving all major malls in the country, he said.
This would add to the effort to get people to move around and spend money, he added.
Binay said she was concerned about the worst-case scenario where locals would be afraid to travel even within the country to avoid contracting the virus.
To deal with this, she said there should be measures to help small businesses to cope with the drastic drop in the number of tourists.
She said funds could be used to train people while waiting for tourism to perk up so that the Philippines would be better prepared when the tourists return.
There could also be financial breaks for small businesses, such as the suspension of their payments to Pag-Ibig and the like.
Discounts
Desiree Bandal, global affairs head of AirAsia Inc., said the airlines had to cancel flights because of the travel ban, and it would help if it would be given discounts on landing charges, user fees, and other government charges.
Boncato said the DOT would get the consolidated positions of the airlines on this and would bring their suggestions to aviation officials.
With the travel ban in China, the DOT would intensify its marketing and promotions domestically and in key international markets such as South Korea, United States and Japan, as well as Western Europe, the Middle East, Russia and neighboring Southeast Asian countries.
During the meeting with Mr. Duterte, TCP president Jose Clemente Jr. said airlines and hotels would cut their rates to attract more tourists.
For hotels, Clemente said they were in talks to give discounts of up to 50 percent with a six-month validity.
He said the negative effect of the travel ban was still manageable, but it would be “catastrophic” for the tourism industry should the virus scare continue until the end of June.
“This could mean many small-time operators would need to shut down,”he added.—With reports from Jerome Aning and Julie M. Aurelio