THE Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 promised to meet with industry stakeholders regularly to keep them abreast of developments in tourism.
“We will engage in a quarterly dialogue with the stakeholders to keep everyone updated,” said DOT 7 Director Shalimar Tamano, as the region is gaining more interest from travelers. Tamano disclosed the agency is working on a regional tourism forum.
“I have been working closely with our stakeholders to consolidate and innovate our workforce and products and services,” he said, stressing that today’s competition in tourism shouldn’t be focused on the competition with the country’s own regions but rather with other countries in Southeast Asia.
More than two million international arrivals were recorded from January to March this year, an increase of 15 percent or 264,212 arrivals more than the figures in the same quarter last year. Among foreign visitors, the tourism department reported, Asians made up 63 percent.
Keeping it green
According to Tamano, the first five months of the year in tourism have been good so far. Barring any incident this year, he expects that tourism in the region will end on a high note.
The DOT 7 is keeping an eye on the establishments’ compliance with environmental rules, particularly in Mactan and Panglao islands, so that these will not suffer the same fate as that of Boracay Island.
“We expect a slowdown because of this requirement but with the support of the industry stakeholders, we will be able to improve the accreditation figures,” he said.
Boracay Island is off-limits to tourists until October as part of a rehabilitation program to help it recover from improper waste management and congestion.
Tamano enjoined the industry to work together to hype Cebu’s marketing efforts around the globe now that Terminal 2 (T2) of the Mactan Cebu International Airport is set to start operating this Sunday, July 1, and the New Bohol International Airport is set to open in August this year.
As of March 2018, about 19 percent of all arrivals by airport or 119,065 persons entered the country through Mactan, according to the tourism department. The international airport in Manila still accounted for 64 percent of all arrivals, at 414,263 persons. Bohol airport’s share, at 2,745, was less than a percent.
“Cebu is already up there. What is critical now is to boost the region’s competitiveness overseas,” he said. (KOC)