ABCs of tourism growth

LOS ANGELES – Just got back from over a week of visiting tourism destinations in Greece and Croatia as well as Venice, a leading tourism destination in that part of Europe. There is no better way of understanding the needs of the tourism industry than being a tourist yourself.

I went the route taken by thousands, if not millions of tourists that visit popular destinations anywhere in the world. I now know it requires physical stamina. Just climbing the Acropolis hill in the blazing Greek afternoon sun isn’t for weaklings… or for those with jetlag. But I did that with a few other dozen busloads eager to walk the same ground as the original thinkers that brought us democracy.

If I were to distill the basics that drive the obviously profitable tourism industry in the places I visited, I would do so by pointing out the A-B-Cs of the tourism trade that our own tourism officials must not just learn but do something about.

A is for Airport (or seaport, or highways and related infrastructure). A is also for accommodations (as in hotels and resorts with expected quality standards). B is for beaches — they go gaga for beaches that are nothing compared to the ones we have. Beaches are destinations in themselves that can produce the volume needed to drive a viable tourism industry. C is for culture. Everywhere I went, the allure of the local culture and their history were at the forefront.

The lasting first impressions are made as the airliner’s door is opened at the airport terminal of the destination city. Even the Americans with their stiff anti-terrorism measures in place are now making an effort to make the welcome reception at the traveler’s port of entry pleasant. My wife and I took a US Airways flight from Venice to Philadelphia and the brand new airport terminal A and the polite reception from US Immigration are guaranteed to change what we remember of our past entries to the US. The immigration agent who processed my entry even said, Welcome to America as he handed me back my passport.

The Marco Polo International Airport in Venice is obviously getting too small for the business it is handling but it is still a pleasant building that works to make visitors feel welcome and comfortable. The seaports in Greece and Croatia we passed through all give their visitors a feeling of security, something that may be difficult to achieve in our international ports in Manila and elsewhere in the country. There were no hangers-on like we see in our piers that importune travelers to buy things or give alms.

Other infrastructure like roads and transport facilities are also essential in bringing tourists quickly to their destinations with a minimum of fuss. The Greeks and the Italians seem to have managed to provide enough infrastructure to make the tourist experience wholesome enough. Taximeters seem to be generally honest, from our limited experience.

Public buses are also available and seem pretty efficient. But the language problem could still be a problem for the casual tourist trying to cut costs by moving around like the natives. I should know. We decided early on that we will try to reach our hotel in suburban Venice from the airport by using an ordinary public bus. If I didn’t talk to the driver to ask him where to get off the bus and just followed instructions from the Internet, we wouldn’t have been lost in a city where English is still not readily understood.

Beaches are an obvious tourism attraction, specially for the Western market. They simply love the sun. It is funny how we instinctively try to go to a shady portion of a beach while the Westerners just fry themselves red under the hot sun. We should develop a dozen or so new Boracays and we will hit the five to 10 million annual visitors we have been dreaming of for years. In fact, if we can fly the tourists directly to the islands and the beaches and avoid Manila and its horrible NAIA terminals, we would have it made.

The most important aspect of their tourism programs in the areas we visited is culture. All the tourist guides assigned to us were well versed in the history of their nation and the particular locality. They also expressed a healthy love and pride of country as they tried to make their visitors appreciate their history and people. I wonder if our tourist guides are as well trained.

This is why I think we should have a strict licensing process for tour guides, not only to weed out those whose only interest is to pimp our women. They should be required to take serious history classes handled by the National Historical Commission. Come to think of it, the National Museum and the National Archives together with the National Historical Commission should be given roles in mapping out our country’s tourism program. Maybe there should be an advisory board coordinated by the Department of Tourism with powers to regulate such things as the preservation of cultural monuments like houses and public buildings.

It is too bad that other than Gemma Cruz Araneta, our Tourism Secretaries didn’t exhibit a good understanding of the importance of history and culture. In fact, even today, Gemma is active in a movement to preserve heritage houses. Former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson’s plan to expand the Crisologo Street row of heritage houses deserves a lot of support. In fact, it should be easy enough to develop the port of Currimao in Ilocos Norte to accept international cruise ships whose passengers can take land tours in Ilocos Norte and Vigan.

Culture and history are the principal attractions sought by the millions of tourists who visit Venice every year. Venice is the ultimate Historical and Cultural Disneyland. The port city of Split in Croatia is also partly launching its bid for the European tourism market by focusing on history. Diocletian’s Palace in Split, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an important point of interest for tourists visiting Split.

Speaking of Split and its history, our visit to this palace built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian reminded me of what we could do with Intramuros. The Palace is not really a Palace in the sense that Buckingham Palace is a Palace. It is more like a city within a city. The strong Diocletian Palace walls served to protect its inhabitants from invaders in the same way our walled city of Intramuros was built for protection against Moro raiders of old. Today, there are banks, stores selling top brand garments, restaurants and other businesses. People still actually live in the walled city today, making it a living community with a long and colorful.

Again, I think it makes sense to really develop Intramuros as a tourist enclave, a place where visitors can take walking tours, shop, eat and imbibe the culture without fear. We have to clean up Intramuros and encourage top real estate developers to build establishments according to specific standards that support the concept of a cultural haven.

Of course it can be done if we get competent and honest people in Intramuros Administration and if they are given top government and private sector support. Mayor Alfredo Lim should work with the National Government to get this done. Filipino developers have shown they can redevelop otherwise dead or decaying urban environments. Rockwell in Makati, Fort Bonifacio in Taguig and Eastwood in Quezon City are good examples. Intramuros could be one real estate development imbued with history and national pride that should be a priority for government and the private sector to undertake.

One thing became very clear to me over the past week. Tourism is a major industry we should take a lot more seriously. It is something we have a demonstrated ability to do well if we can only get our minds to do it as we should.

Breaking news:

E J Saguil forwarded this one.

CNN reports that gas stations will start showing PORN movies on the screens of the pumps so that you can see someone else get screwed at the same time you are.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]