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Sunday, March 23, 2003
Long haul tourist market lost due to war: Garcia
THE "long haul" market for tourists has definitely been lost with the ongoing war in Iraq, Department of Tourism 11 Director Sonia Garcia said Thursday.
"We immediately lost tourists from the US and Europe, although they comprise only a small percentage of our tourists," she said.
There might also be an immediate effect from the country's "short haul" market, consisting of foreign visitors from the Asean, but she said, "This group is still with us."
"We are working closely with those coming from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, and the BIMP-Eaga (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines East Asean Growth Area)," she said.
But these tourists pay particular attention to security especially those coming from Singapore who are wary of their safety but not much with the Koreans, Garcia said.
This led Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to issue a travel advisory outlining efforts of the City Government to protect tourists.
In the advisory, Duterte said tourism-oriented establishments (TOEs) such as hotels, resorts, restaurants and allied entities have been ordered to safeguard their guests and secure their premises.
Local police and military operatives conduct regular monitoring to provide maximum-security assistance to prevent any threat to the guests, Duterte said.
The "Bantay Turista Police" as a component of "Task Force Perlas" will provide security assistance to both domestic and foreign visitors and conduct regular patrol in places identified as points of interests for tourists.
Duterte in the same advisory said checkpoints have been installed by the police and military to check vehicles in major points of entry and exit.
Police visibility is high in malls, churches, schools, parks and other similar areas frequented by the general public.
Duterte also gave his assurance that vital installations such as power, water and telecommunication facilities are given maximum-security protection against lawless elements and saboteurs. PIA/PDB
(March 23, 2003 issue)
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