Thursday, November 06, 2008 Filipino resort lands on list of top travel picks of NY mag
With fears that the global financial crisis will take its toll on the tourism industry, a local resort considers its latest achievement—being named as one of the top resorts in the world by an international travel magazine—as a ticket to gain more recognition and reach out to more markets.
Plantation Bay general manager Efren Belarmino said its inclusion in Conde Nast Traveler’s 21st Annual Readers’ Choice Awards 2008 “shows that we can cater to the most discriminating of travelers.”
The Filipino-owned and managed hotel-resort ranked 16th out of 25 in the Top Asian Resorts category of the Conde Nast awards with 90 points, ahead of three other Philippine hotels—Pan Pacific Manila with 89.2 points, Makati Shangri-la with 87.2 and Peninsula Manila with 83.5 points—which were also shortlisted.
“It is the only Philippine resort among 323 resorts worldwide with winning scores, surpassing some resorts in Koh Samui and Phuket (in Thailand), Bali (Indonesia) and Langkawi (Malaysia),” said Joanna Marie Cuenco, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa public relations associate.
Cuenco said the inclusion of Plantation Bay in the Conde Nast awards will add to the credibility of the resort, whose three restaurants have been cited by the Philippine Tatler magazine.
“We’re very proud of it. It also speaks well of management, which treats us (personnel) well. Happy staff means satisfied customers,” she said.
To get to the list, a resort has to be nominated by a certain number of Conde Nast readers and undergo a review process.
Conde Nast Traveler, published in New York, features luxury travel and reviews of high-priced hotels, products and services.
Korean tourists
Belarmino said it is the first time for Plantation Bay to land on the Conde Nast Traveler list. “It’s very difficult to be on the Conde Nast list so this is really quite an achievement,” he added.
The listing comes as the resort reported a 12 percent decline in the number of Korean tourists, who account for most of Plantation Bay’s occupants.
“(The number of Korean guests) have declined since March,” said Belarmino, citing the weakening of the won and the slowdown of the Korean economy that has been blamed on the weakening of the US market.
Belarmino remains optimistic about Cebu’s tourism, even though foreign travel would be one of the things people will cut down during a financial crisis.
“We mostly have leisure travelers (and they) have already planned their trips and set aside money for their vacation. They will push through even with the crisis,” he told Sun.Star Cebu. “We also have those on corporate incentives, who will push through (because their trips have been planned already),” he added.
On the other hand, he expects Filipinos to shelve their foreign travel plans and take their vacation within the country, instead.
Still, Belarmino said, the crisis should not be a reason for resorts, and businesses in general, to drop their plans.
“We’re not stopping our improvement (projects),” he said, citing ongoing renovation at the resort that will result in six new rooms. He did not say when the renovation will be completed, though.
Even with the decline in the number of Korean guests, he said Plantation Bay enjoys an occupancy rate of more than 80 percent as of September. Most of the resort’s guests are Koreans, Japanese and Filipinos.
To reach more markets, Plantation Bay partners with travel agencies in different countries, like Russia and Korea, and participates in various travel fairs in Japan, Germany and Singapore. (LAP)
