Wednesday, July 02, 2008 Industry stakeholders want Cebu to be shopping tourism capital
APART from positioning Cebu as a world-class destination for medical and wellness tourism in Asia by 2010, tourism industry players are also tapping the province’s potential as a shopping destination for local and foreign travelers.
“Shopping tourism,” described as an emerging venture in the industry, was discussed by the Philippine International Trade Fair (PITF) 2008 chairperson Angel Ramos Bognot in last week’s Tourism Congress at the Cebu International Convention Center.
Bognot said the venture represents an “intimate and emotional” relationship between the country and the tourists as manifested through the buying of clothes, souvenirs and food, among others.
“Shopping tourism can be participated in by shopping malls that can tap all tourist markets and can generate a lot of publicity through it. There is also no discrimination in the buying of products and services. Businesses here can find a lot of opportunities in shopping tourism through annual activities, such as Sinulog,” she said.
But Bognot admitted that the downside of shopping tourism in Cebu and in the country could involve untimely implementation of promotional programs, lack of defined marketing strategy among businesses, small discounts and a limited number of participating merchants.
Bognot noted that there is a need for the development of more support services, such as shuttles for travelers and language interpreters to help bridge the gap between merchants and tourists.
Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 Director Patria Aurora Roa shared the same sentiments, lamenting over the lack of Korean-speaking Filipino tourist guides in Cebu.
She said the DOT had to get Koreans who were taught about Philippine history and culture so they can be effective tour guides.
Koreans were the top foreign tourist market in Cebu in the first quarter of this year.
In shopping tourism, the country is will be competing against countries like Singapore and Hong Kong. Bognot said the Philippines lag behind its two rivals as the richer Singapore and Hong Kong are able to do intensive advertising and media hype by inviting superstars, for instance, to their tourist destinations.
To address the situation, Bognot said three modules were drafted for businesses that wanted to participate in shopping tourism: creation of Cebu shopping brochure, formation of a shopping holiday and tour activity, and organization of Cebu hop and shop tours.
She proposed that the brochure, which is intended to help tourists easily identify the places where they want to shop, will contain shopping destinations in Cebu with contact information, list of world-class products produced by the province, support services, and DOT information, among others.
Bognot also suggested that the Network of Independent Travel Agencies and the Cebu Association of Tour Operators come up with thematic packages that involve shopping and that also cater to budget as well as high -spending tourists. (NRC)
