Friday, August 24, 2007 Durano seeks immediate expansion of MCIAA for 1M tourists by 2012
GOVERNMENT should start to expand the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) now if it wants to attract more tourists to Cebu, Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said.
The MCIA already exceeded its capacity last year and with the government’s efforts to increase tourist arrivals, the airport expansion should start now, he told industry players yesterday.
Durano made a presentation before stakeholders of the tourism industry in yesterday’s Sun.Star Economic Forum, and he said that the airport terminal already exceeded its capacity of 2.5 million.
Considering that his department targets one million foreign tourist arrivals in Cebu for 2012, on top of the domestic tourists, he said the terminal should have a capacity of 4.5 million or almost double the present capacity.
Now
“It is imperative that Mactan airport starts expanding today,” Durano said.
But Airport General Manager Danilo Augusto Francia said the combined capacity of MCIAA’s domestic and international terminals is 4.5 million people.
He made the clarification when asked for his reaction to Durano’s presentation at the forum.
Francia said they are now completing the terms of reference for the terminal expansion project.
The plan to improve the domestic and international terminals started with the proposal to construct two additional boarding bridges and tubes.
At least P60 million was allocated by MCIAA for the bridges and tubes that will protect passengers from rain or heat.
In his presentation, Durano showed how 2007 is considered a “monumental” year for Philippine tourism.
Gainer
For the first time, the country will be hosting more than three million foreign tourists based on arrivals from January to June.
In terms of tourist spending, the DOT is looking at some $3 billion or about P150 billion to be infused into the economy.
Cebu, which he considers a “primary gainer” of the country’s good tourism performance, will attract 500,000 foreign tourists this year and will gain close to $1 billion in tourism receipts and close to 77,000 jobs.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) targets one million foreign tourists by 2012, which he said is “doable.”
To ensure this, Durano sees the need to promote Cebu in “high-growth and emerging markets.”
He cited that at present, Cebu’s foreign tourists are mostly from Korea, Japan and the United States so it’s time for Cebu to target China, Russia and India. (Indian tourists are the highest spenders in Singapore.)
Seeds
Aside from broadening the market base, Durano is proposing that Cebu also widens its product base by promoting Cebu as a destination for international meetings and as a “second home” destination.
He explained that being a second home destination, it does not mean serving as home for retirees but providing the rich people from cold countries a place to go to during the winter months.
Since not all hotel and resort rooms are good enough to be marketed internationally, Durano said private businesses will not go wrong in investing on this aspect.
He also sees the need to increase the number of direct flights to other countries and to make them regular. Improvements in airports outside Manila are also being pursued.
Aside from improving infrastructure, he said tourism-related courses must also be relevant to the needs of the industry. On this, the DOT will coordinate with the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education Skills Authority.
“We can only harvest what we sow and sow we must. As we lay the seeds for the future growth of tourism in Cebu, the environment for tourism development has never been as ripe as it is today,” said Durano. (JPM/EOB)
