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Saturday, September 03, 2005
Baguio loses status as tourists' favorite
By Rimaliza Opiña
BAGUIO CITY -- Top tourist destination no more?
This may be the question now in the minds of Baguio residents after the Department of Tourism (DOT) regional office reported that as far as tourist arrivals is concerned, this city has been at the losing end, and is badly in need of help especially from local officials.
DOT Regional Director Purificacion Molintas said in Friday's "Kapihan sa Baguio" that in the past two years, Baguio's tourist arrivals steadily declined, bringing down its share of tourists to 76 percent from the usual 90 to 95 percent.
The provinces of Kalinga, Ifugao and Benguet, on the other hand, have been getting the bulk of tourists. While Baguio continues to register a decline in visitors, the provinces, in the past two years, have registered a 200 percent increase in arrivals.
Molintas said the development is "dramatic" as these areas were not previously identified as tourist destinations apart from the Banaue Rice Terraces of Ifugao.
The province of Apayao likewise has been slowly catching up, Molintas said, stressing that the "dramatic" improvement in the province's tourism industry could be attributed to the vigilance of local government units (LGUs) in promoting their provinces through traditional media like broadcast and print and through new media like the world wide web.
"There has to be projects to resuscitate tourism in Baguio. The City Government should look very closely into this matter," Molintas said. He said there was a need for the city to be competitive by coming up with "new things" to offer its visitors.
Molintas added the promotion of these provinces overseas could be attributed to a high number of foreigners visiting these areas. In Benguet, for instance, the province's sisterhood ties with Japan largely contributed to a huge number of Japanese tourist arrivals. In Ifugao, most of the visitors include Europeans and Americans, Molintas added.
Molintas also revealed that Baguio has been lagging behind other tourist destinations outside the region such as Tagaytay, Cavite, and Subic.
The destinations, she pointed out, were not previously known as tourist spots, with Baguio dominating the tourism scene for some 20 years. However, the areas have made radical changes and embarked on improving their respective tourism industries.
Cebu and Davao, which Molintas described as ordinary destinations in the past, have now surpassed leading tourist destinations and both now have airports catering to international flights.
Molintas said the booming tourism industry in those cities and provinces is largely due to the putting up of tourism offices and creation of plantilla positions for tourism officers by the local governments.
Compared to Bataan's tourism office, which reportedly has 17 staff members, Puerto Princesa - 42, and Davao - 26, Baguio only has three regular staff overseeing tourism activities in the city.
Due to problems promoting the city as a tourist destination as reported by the association of travel agencies here, former President Fidel Ramos himself said that for Baguio to maintain its position as a regular tourist destination, its promotion should include neighboring provinces in and around the region.
In a recent Sun.Star report, the Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Aitas) admitted difficulty in "selling" Baguio because apart from the city's weather, there is "nothing new" to promote.
Cathy dela Rosa, spokesperson of the Aitas, said more than improving and preserving the city's landmarks, a "culture of tourism" has to be instilled in the minds of the residents as well. (Sun.Star Baguio/Sunnex)
(September 3, 2005 issue)
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