Palace official assures Cebu traders of help in maintaining tourist arrivals

A MALACAÑANG official assured Cebuanos last Friday that government will do its best to maintain the number of tourists coming to Cebu amid the lingering effects of the Aug. 23 hostage crisis in Manila.

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said the the hostage crisis that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead may lead to around $70 million in losses for the tourism industry.

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DOT 7 also expected a decline in the number of tourists after the Hong Kong government advised its citizens to avoid all travel to the country. Hong Kong and China are among the region’s top travel markets. Cebu was the top destination with 1.6 million visitors last year.

“I know many of you are concerned as to whether you will be able to duplicate these numbers given the sad events that unfolded. On behalf of the President, I assure you that we in your government will do everything in our power to help you sustain your tourism promotions efforts,” said Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa during the General Membership Meeting of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel.

Ochoa said the government is now resolving the issues involved in the incident and is coordinating closely with the Chinese Government to reassure them of the country’s commitment to bring closure on the matter.

“Let me just say that the Chinese ambassador told the Department of Foreign Affairs that they view this as an isolated incident and many abroad feel the same way,” he stressed.

Ochoa said the country should view the incident as a challenge to work harder to achieve goals rather than allow the incident to douse the enthusiasm for the country’s tourism and investment potentials.

“We believe that there are reasons to feel positive about our ability to rise above the challenges we face,” he said.

Aside from duplicating the tourism arrivals, Ochoa also assured Cebu businessmen of the government’s serious measures and efforts in curbing graft and corruption. This, he said, can be manifested with the results of the recent Business Expectations Survey of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, where business confidence for the fourth quarter this year hit an all-time high of 59.2 percent.

“Investor confidence is up because businessmen believe that President Aquino can deliver on his pledge to provide investors with a level playing field,” he said.

He said major information technology companies have already indicated their interest in setting up operations in the country.

Ochoa said the renewed confidence can also be translated into increased partnership with the public sector. He reported that SM Land Inc. submitted an unsolicited proposal to develop a 33.1-hectare property in Fort Bonifacio, where it will pay up front P2 billion and P25.9 billion in secured revenues over 20 years. SMLI has also committed to advance the replication expenses of military facilities presently occupying the property.