Manila needs evolving tourism policies

MANILA, Philippines — Manila needs to add more evolving tourism policies to help boost urban readiness for tourism growth, Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) said in a report.

In its Destination 2030 report, JLL along with the World Travel and Tourism Council(WTTC) included Manila in its Dawning Developers Index.

This index is characterized by emerging urban readiness and tourism infrastructure as well as current lower tourism growth and lower visitor concentration, but has potential to grow.

“To improve their readiness, efforts should be focused on developing and enhancing urban infrastructure such as airport connectivity, accommodation stock and addressing environmental issues such as waste and water quality,” the property research and advisory firm said.

“These cities can also harness opportunities to develop and improve existing tourism policies which foster growth at a pace that the city can afford,” it added.

Manila is joined by other cities such as Buenos Aires, Cairo, Chengdu, Kuala Lumpur, Lima, Mumbai, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro and Riyadh in the Dawning Developers Index.

JLL Philippines earlier cited the Philippine hospitality sector as among markets in the Asia Pacific region seen to attract investors this year, driven by the robust growth of the tourism industry.

“The overwhelming support for tourism that the Philippine government has demonstrated is expected to bring forth a tremendous positive effect on the growth of the real estate industry’s hospitality sector,” JLL Philippines said.

It added that the Asia Pacific region is the only region expecting growth in hotel transaction volumes, anticipating a total of $9.5 billion this year, a 15 percent rise from 2018.  

The Destination 2030 index measures and categorizes 50 global gateway cities into one of five levels of “readiness” and provides actionable solutions to foster sustainable growth in tourism activity.

The levels range from emerging to established market tourism hubs with varying levels of infrastructure.

Apart from the Dawning Developers level, other categories included in the index are the emerging performers, balanced dynamics, mature performers and mounting pressure.

“Determining a city’s future readiness for tourism growth requires a holistic view that accounts not only for its current physical and natural assets, but also for its social capital and the impact of its policies. Whether a city is looking to grow its travel and tourism sector or manage rising visitor numbers, business and city leaders must balance all the dynamics that make up a city’s fabric,” the report said.

JLL emphasized that tourism has to be good for tourists and residents alike, and its growth must be organized and well planned.
“Tourism has a positive social impact, helping to pay for infrastructure, schools, hospitals and public transportation. If leaders manage this well and consider this sector as part of their plans, they can maximize the opportunity,” it added.