THE Bacolod City Council approved a resolution urging all government employees and Bacolod City residents to consider buying local products, visiting local destinations and dining in local cafes or restaurants to help in the recovery of the tourism industry of the city.
The resolution was authored by Councilor Israel Salanga, chairperson of the City Council committee on tourism.
Salanga said most of the tourism accommodations, establishments such as restaurants and cafes and destinations in the city have been closing down because there is a scarcity of tourists brought by the cancelation of air and sea travel to and from the city.
He said based on latest developments, some restaurants and cafes started to open but with restricted capacity.
Salanga said restaurants and cafes are still in deep competition with international restaurant brands, which are still "getting a lot of our local customers."
“International restaurant brands will continue to survive even with little support from our local residents, but our local restaurants and cafes will not be able to survive if support to them continues to decline,” Salanga said.
He said the City Council is appealing to all government employees in the city and residents of Bacolod to help support the city’s local products, restaurants and cafes so that they can recover.