Investing in tourism

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – I am told that over 300 cruise ship visits are logged by this city every year. I am in no position to say if that is a big number or not in the context of tourism in Europe. But I am sure that this morning at least, there was an army of tourists roaming around the historic streets of this city. There were a whole lot of people clicking away with their Japanese digital cameras. Trying to get a good shot of the Little Mermaid perched on her rock at the harbor area requires agility and patience.

The year’s cruising season for Northern Europe has just started and it seems like the industry has not been seriously affected by recession. In our particular cruise to Scandinavian countries and Russia, I am told it is almost fully booked. There are a lot of older passengers and more Europeans than Americans compared to past cruises we have taken.

Job layoffs may have made Americans think twice about spending money on a cruise but not one American single lady we talked to. She said she elected to benefit from a redundancy package offer from the telecoms company Verizon after over 30 years of service and this cruise was her way of rewarding herself. She said her retirement portfolio has decreased in value by over 30 percent so she decided to start enjoying some of what remains before more of it vanishes in Wall Street.

There is no doubt that tourism is a major industry worldwide and the competition is fierce. I have noted heavy advertising by emerging tourism destinations like the new states of Montenegro and Croatia both of which used to be part of Yugoslavia. The Malaysian tourism campaign is also being aired in Europe. Just trying to get noticed as a good tourism destination requires a lot of good thinking in terms of message and positioning. You also need a significant amount of money.

The media campaigns aside, it is also clear that governments have and are continuing to invest heavily on tourism infrastructure. Even in Russia, where our Russian guide said people are not fond of foreigners/tourists, the government has invested in an impressive new terminal for cruise ship passengers. They have trained guides, new tourist buses. Russia even suspended some of its bureaucratic rules and is allowing visa-free entry of cruise ship passengers to St. Petersburg.

It helps that the European capitals we visited have strong historical and cultural values… great museums… and have exerted effort to clean their environment so that it is possible to get to know the cities traveling by boat through their canals and other waterways. One more reason why our Pasig River clean up drive (which includes Manila’s esteros and other Pasig River tributaries) should succeed.

Of course modern airport facilities are now taken for granted abroad and something for us to just dream about back home. Then there is security. In London, police visibility is strong specially in areas with a lot of tourists. Security is always a problem in the big cities but at least, there appears to be an effort to ease concerns of visitors.

It is clear that we have a lot of catching up to do if we want to be considered a serious tourism destination. The problem is, after Dick Gordon and Obet Pagdanganan, we obviously lack a visionary with clout for the industry. I realize government should not be the only source of vision for tourism’s development but the large capital outlays needed to put proper infrastructure in place makes government’s role paramount.

Tourism is already the second biggest money maker and job provider in our country. It has the potential to emerge as the principal industry soon, directly benefiting millions of Filipinos specially in the countryside. The beauty of tourism is its high local value added. Other than some expat salaries and imported liquor and some food items, money earned by the industry remains within the country.

Our problem lies in our inability to get our act together to move the industry forward. Even while the Tourism Act of 2009 was under consideration by Congress, it was disconcerting to see the Tourism Secretary’s lukewarm if not hostile attitude towards the measure. Yet, the private sector leaders I have talked to are unanimous in saying that the measure was just what they need to move the industry beyond its traditional mediocre performance.

I am glad to learn that my friend Bobby Joseph, chairman emeritus of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies Inc. (Naitas) has asked all tourism stakeholders to support the recently enacted Tourism Act of 2009, which he said will make the industry the principal engine of growth and development of the country.

“Tourism is jobs and business and stronger tourism means more jobs and more business,” Bobby Joseph was quoted in last Sunday’s PhilStar. Joseph cited the example of Spain where tourism is the No. 1 industry and where millions in the cities and in the countryside benefit as tourist workers or as entrepreneurs catering to tourists.

But things are even now starting to move and we just need to sustain it. He said expectations are high that Philippine tourism will get stronger despite the downturn in world travel business because of the new law that provides fiscal incentives to new investments in tourism projects and a master plan for tourism that will develop new tourist spots and new travel destinations.

Joseph said the tourism law will open new facets, like the development of community tourism where customs and rituals of a locality, like planting or harvest festivals, become tourist attractions.

He said thousands more who are not directly connected with tourism will derive income from it like the carpenters who build hotels and resorts and farmers and fishermen who supply food to bars and restaurants.

“Everyone is actually a stakeholder, including tricycle drivers in towns and provinces who ferry tourists to local destinations or the cigarette vendors who sell outside bars and restaurants,” Joseph said.

That is why Naitas has started a program for the development of a culture of tourism all over the country designed to make everyone realize the value of tourism in daily life and all help to insure the success of the industry. Even if being hospitable to visitors is second nature to most Filipinos, it is important for every Filipino to know that our image abroad is developed from the collective experiences of the tourists who visit us.

I hope the day will not come when the tour guide will have to warn the tourists in her bus that the common folks out there do not like tourists, the way the Russian tour guide warned us at St. Petersburg. I found it strange that we were warned not to smile at the locals because they may be offended. Indeed, our guides should encourage visitors to smile at the Filipinos in the streets because we love visitors.

The apparent Russian cultural deficiency in hospitality aside, how come they seem to be attracting more tourists than us? What they have is history, culture and a modern tourism infrastructure. Let us not forget our museums in our effort to promote tourism. Culture and history are important tourism attractions too.

We have a lot of homework to do before we can really meet the challenge of making tourism a significant driver of our economy, in good times and bad. If what I saw over the past two weeks in Europe is any indication, the urge for people to travel and see new places and learn about new cultures and people is as strong as ever even in this global economic downturn.

Tourism transaction

Here’s something from Mel Amado.

Turistang Kano (trying to speak Tagalog): Meg-kanow isang kilow mang-gow?

Tindero: One way.

Turistang Kano: Meg-kanow?

Tindero: I sed ONE WAY.

Turistant Kano: Aynowng ibig sabeyhin ng one way?

Tindero: Isang daan. Understand?!

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