CEBU CITY -- As early as the last quarter of 2014, all accommodation facilities in Tacloban and Palo, Leyte were already 95 percent booked, in anticipation of Pope Francis’s visit to Tacloban.
“To date, only five percent (of the accommodation facilities) have available rooms,” said Department of Tourism (DOT)-Eastern Visayas Director Karina Rosa “Karen” Tiopes in an email interview.
She noted that hotels and inns are almost fully booked on dates the Pope will be arriving in Tacloban.
Based on projections of the local working committee, there will be around one million visitors and pilgrims who will visit the city, Tiopes said.
Majority of these tourists will come from nearby municipalities, while others will come from Visayas and Mindanao. Tiopes said numerous balikbayans and foreigners are already in Tacloban.
Duration
Pope Francis will visit Tacloban City for six and a half hours this Saturday, January 17. He will spend his time mostly with the survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
Tacloban is one of the areas hit hardest by Super Typhoon Yolanda, when it hit the Visayas in November 2013 and left at least 6,300 dead.
Preparations
As the region braces for the influx of tourists, Tiopes said she called for a meeting with the owners of accommodation facilities as early as the third quarter of 2014 to determine the number of rooms, status of advance booking and to get the players’ commitment to ensure quality of service.
They have also conducted trainings for personnel to enhance service skills and involve them as force multipliers to ensure safety in coordination with the Philippine National Police.
Some facilities also refurbished their rooms while some built additional rooms.
With the coordination with the local chambers and the local government units, Tiopes said the local business community also assured enough supply and regular cost of food, basic necessities and services. Small entrepreneurs, on the other hand, have already produced ample supply of local and event souvenir items.
Tiopes believes the Papal Visit is a welcome opportunity to revive Tacloban’s tourism sector, following the devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda.
“Pope Francis’s coming to Tacloban is good for image rebuilding,” she said.
Many still think that Tacloban is still in shambles, with almost minimal tourist facilities, products and services. But with the media mileage, we will be able to showcase the improvements of the city and how we are back and ready to provide services to tourists, said Tiopes.
Tacloban City’s tourist arrivals in 2013 stood at 306,300 higher than the DOT’s target for the city at 204,913. On 2012, the city recorded 190,674 arrivals.
As of the third quarter of 2014, Tacloban welcomed 203,151 tourists. The city’s target arrival is 329,172.
Impact
On top of the expected high tourism traffic during the Pope’s arrival, Tiopes also added his visit will also impact business and livelihood aspects.
She said they anticipate high tourism receipts during the period as well business and livelihood opportunities that cuts across the tourism value chain. And more importantly, media exposure not only on the visit but also focusing on Tacloban, Palo and the region as a travel destination.
“Through Pope Francis’s visit we will be able to aggressively and continuously communicate to the market that we are back to business,” she said. (Sun.Star Cebu)