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Thursday, February 19, 2004
Industry players want politics out of tourism
By Cherry T. Lim
POLITICIANS should take politics out of tourism and put the country’s interests ahead of their own, local tourism industry players said.
Whoever becomes president in the May elections should “professionalize” the tourism industry by putting at the helm of the Department of Tourism (DOT) “someone who is a professional, not a politician,” said Bernadette Jingco, managing director of management and marketing consultancy Tourkonsult.
“By this, I’m referring to Pato,” Jingco told Sun.Star.
Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, chairman of the Cebu Visitors and Convention Bureau (CVCB), has been in the tourism industry for 16 years and recently became the first TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men) awardee for tourism.
Representatives from resorts, hotels, tour operators, airlines and restaurants in Cebu, Davao, Iloilo and Metro Manila have embarked on a signature campaign to make him tourism secretary to replace Richard Gordon, who resigned to run for senator.
Tourism players criticized President Arroyo’s decision to make Deen Barbers DOT officer in charge.
According to an officer of a Cebu travel group, Gordon had recommended DOT Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab to be OIC. But Arroyo picked Deen, son of Sen. Robert Barbers, reportedly as a concession after the senator dropped his bid for the vice presidency.
Deen, a former councilor of Makati, is now concurrent general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority and OIC of the DOT despite having only two years’ background in tourism.
Gregorio, who was in the United States when the lobby for the top tourism post was made, said: “If invited to serve, I will be happy to serve in whatever capacity because it’s (tourism) my life and my passion.”
Cebu Travel and Tours Association’s Marilou Ordońez asked politicians to sponsor worthy projects.
“Politicians should look into what’s good for the country and the tourism industry, and not what will benefit their political careers,” she said on the sidelines of a press conference to promote the 3rd Visayas Travel & Tour Fair and 1st Asia Pacific Islands Travelmart, which will start Friday at SM City Cebu.
“They should focus on tourism because the benefits of tourism will seep into the grass roots. It will help the ordinary basket maker, the vendor in the streets.
Whereas if you have a basketball court, you will benefit only the basketball players,” she said.
Jingco also sought “more focused marketing” from the new leadership, saying promoting eight anchor destinations in the Philippines was not effective.
“Let’s market the Philippines focused on one island. Like Malaysia, they are (pushing) Penang.”
Cebu is the one island she is rooting for, she said.
A bigger tourism budget would also help, she said.
Of the P1-billion DOT budget this year, Central Visayas will get just P4.7 million.
(February 19, 2004 issue)
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