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Thursday, April 03, 2003
Sars affects RP flights, but players still hopeful
By Jima Jimenea/UP Masscom intern
AIRLINES are canceling flights due to a virus scare, but Filipinos still know how to turn a sour situation into a sweet one.
For Philippine Airlines (PAL) Visayas sales and services assistant vice president Celso Dapo, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) scare and the Iraq war are blessings in disguise for Philippine tourism.
He believes that because people would not want to travel abroad, there will be a tremendous rise in domestic tourism, spurring a lot of businesses in the country.
As for reports of airline companies canceling flights to some Asian
countries, he assured those who plan to travel that PAL has not totally canceled flights going to Asia but has just reduced the frequencies of flights like its Manila-Hong Kong flights, which are now only three flights per week.
PAL will also be canceling an extra section in its Cebu-Hong Kong flights this April 18. Dapo reasoned that the Sars epidemic had affected the vacation plans of Filipinos and foreigners abroad this Holy Week.
He said PAL’s other operations had already been affected due to booking cancellations.
Hong Kong is at the center of the Sars epidemic which started in southern China. Scores of people have died of the disease, which has spread worldwide quickly due to air travel.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific, on the other hand, in a written advisory advised the public that it is making a “temporary reduction in regional services in response to a recent softening in passenger demand.
The changes will affect eight destinations within the Asia region and will be introduced from mid-April to May 31. These include Manila, Taipei, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, a report said.
Temporary
These are temporary measures made in response to softening demand. We will continue to monitor the market and make adjustments as necessary,” said Cathay Pacific director for corporate planning Augustus Tang.
Leslie Dabuet, station manager of Malaysia Airlines, said some of the airline’s flights had been canceled but on a case-to-case basis only, like its sector in Beirut.
Ashwana Real, Southwind Travel and Tours outbound manager, confirmed that the Sars scare had caused a decrease in outbound travel.
She said the tourism industry is now suffering, especially those airline companies that cater to Asian countries.
Not so much on those bound for Europe or the United States and do not have stopovers in Asia. Those that have been greatly affected are those that transit in Asia,” she explained.
But there was a ray of hope for the tourism industry.
Department of Tourism 7 Regional Director Patria Aurora Roa said President Arroyo’s announcement to move the April 9 holiday to April 7 to create a long weekend was a good one.
According to her, although the summer season is just starting, since February, famous resorts and hotels in the country like those in Bohol and Bantayan Island were already fully booked.
She added that the top bookings came from Filipinos.
No cancelations
As of press time, Silk Air and Cebu Pacific have not canceled any flights.
According to Viveca Singson, Cebu Pacific corporate communications manager, although there has been an obvious drop in the volume of passengers going outside the country, she believes there are a lot of reasons for this.
(It is) not only because of the Sars epidemic,” she said.
(April 3, 2003 issue)
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