PRRD to visit top PH destinations in coming weeks

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte salutes a police official upon his arrival at the Sangley Airport in Cavite City for its inauguration on February 15, 2020. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte is set to visit top Philippine destinations, particularly Boracay, Cebu, and Bohol, “in the next couple of weeks” to help boost local tourism amid the threat of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, a Tourism official said on Monday.

Tourism Undersecretary Arturo Boncato Jr. said Duterte’s visit to local tourist destinations will depend on his schedule of availability.

“We’re mapping something either [by the] end of February or early March. So that is the timing we are looking at. We are coordinating with the Office of the President,” Boncato said in a Laging Handa press briefing in Malacañang.

Boncato said the intention is for Duterte to visit “as many destinations as possible.”

He said Duterte’s visit to local destinations is meant to push for domestic tourism following an expected slowdown in arrivals from foreign markets and cushion the impact the outbreak may bring to the tourism industry.

In a separate press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo expressed confidence that Duterte’s presence there “attracts people from attending an event.”

Asked if Duterte would engage in beach-related activities such as jet skiing, Panelo said he would simply be there to make his presence felt and say hello to the locals and tourists.

In a video message shared by Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) on Friday, Duterte encouraged his fellow Filipinos to travel with him around the country stressing that it is a safe place to visit.

“To my fellow Filipinos, I encourage you to travel with me around the Philippines. I assure you that everything is safe in our country, be it an issue of health, be it an issue of law and order, and be it an issue of accessibility,” Duterte said.

Duterte earlier imposed a temporary travel ban on foreigners coming from China and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macao to stop the virus from spreading in the country.

With the travel ban imposed on China and its two administrative regions, the Philippines’ tourism sector is estimated to lose around USD291.71 million or about PHP14.83 billion for February 2020 alone.

China is the fastest-growing market but it only comes second to South Korea, which remains the top tourist market of the Philippines. The two are followed by the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, India, and Germany.

Boncato said the DOT has yet to get any report of any tourism-related establishments which closed down because of the Covid-19 threat.

Seat sales, package tours, shopping fest

As part of DOT’s tactical campaign to boost local tourism, Boncato said the department has engaged all stakeholders from airlines, hotels, and travel trade to look at steps in stirring the market.

He said the private sector has committed to provide several airline seat sales and packaged promotions whether value-added or marked down.

To lure more visitors from the international market, the DOT continues to promote the Philippines as “the hottest summer destination” in Asia by capitalizing on being the best dive destination in the world in 2019.

He said target markets would be short haul markets including South Korea, Japan, the whole of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) market and even homecoming Filipinos from the US, and Western Europe as well.

DOT is set to roll out the first ever nationwide “Philippine Shopping Festival” next month to showcase the country as a destination for unique finds in terms of items to purchase and to experience, he added.

He said the festival will highlight home-grown brands and local products such as handicrafts all over the country.

The festival will involve all of the major organizations in the retail industry including malls starting from the Araneta Group all the way to Vista Mall and major organizations behind the retail industry, the tourism industry, from the Philippine Franchise Association to the Philippine Tour Operator Association and the like.

Boncato emphasized that a boost in domestic tourism revenues would be a “big help” to cushion the impact of losses incurred from the expected decrease in international tourism numbers.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said nationwide school-related events such as Palarong Pambansa, Festival of Talents, and press conferences are also expected to generate more domestic tourist arrivals.

Last week, DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat assured that it is safe to conduct festivals and public gatherings in the country, despite Covid-19 threat as long as precautionary measures are in place.

Romulo-Puyat’s remarks came after the Department of Health (DOH) earlier recommended the cancellation of big events and other mass gatherings amid the threats posed by the deadly disease.

Currently, DOT has set a 2020 target of PHP4.454 trillion for tourism revenue and 9.2 million for international tourist arrivals.

In the Philippines, there are three confirmed cases of Covid-19. They are all Chinese nationals from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus outbreak. One died while the other two have already recovered.