Bicol to lose P6B in tourism revenue due to COVID-19

CANCELED. Lucban town in Quezon province’s Pahiyas Festival, one of the country’s biggest tourist draws, has been canceled due to the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). (Photo by DELFIN T. MALLARI JR. / Inquirer Southern Luzon)

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, Philippines —The Bicol region is projected to lose P6 billion in revenue as the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cripples tourism, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said.

Benjamin Santiago, director of DOT Bicol, said that during the summer season, from March to May, the region usually caters to three million domestic and 500,000 foreign tourists.

But due to the spread of the dreaded virus, most of the local government units in Bicol have implemented a 14-day mandatory quarantine for individuals who traveled from Metro Manila and other regions with confirmed COVID-19 cases.

“Tourists flock in the summer season, especially during the Holy Week. If this situation will not subside, there would be a bigger problem,” he said.

He said some property owners have to cut the number of employees by implementing shifting schedules while some were told to go on vacation because of the decline of tourist arrivals since February.

Santiago said there are at least seven million direct and indirect employees in the tourism industry in the region.