Discovery World sees rosy prospects for tourism in Q4

MANILA, Philippines — Listed hospitality company Discovery World Corp. sees rosy prospects for tourism in the country in the fourth quarter.

Jun Parreño, DWC president and COO of Discovery Hospitality Corp., said the relaxed travel requirements and eased restrictions would help the tourism industry recover.

“We truly appreciate the relaxed travel requirements and the eased restrictions on other tourism-related operations, especially since we are nearing the Christmas season when families, balikbayans and even groups of friends come to Discovery Shores Boracay and Club Paradise Palawan to spend the holidays,” Parreño said.

DWC’s resorts and city hotels, namely Discovery Suites Ortigas and Discovery Primea Makati, are ready with a 100 percent fully-vaccinated workforce.

“This added layer of protection, for both staff and guests, is one of the major steps toward the bounce back of the tourism industry,” Parreño said.

The Hotels Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) likewise said that 15,000 hotel and tourism industry workers or 98 percent of its 125-member properties have been fully vaccinated with 100 percent fulfillment projected in the coming months.

DWC-owned resorts, Discovery Shores Boracay and Club Paradise Palawan have been given the Safety Travels mark by Word Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Safety Seal certification by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), making these establishments ready for the reopening of the tourism sector, Parreño said.

“Our guests in both resorts have expressed that their stay with us is exactly what they needed after a long time of being boxed in the four walls of their homes. The fresh air and sprawling white beach along Discovery Shores Boracay, the biodiversity and the exclusivity of the private island of Club Paradise Palawan, together with the reassuring feeling that they are in a safe place and that our resorts are like an extension of their homes are what our guests long for,” Parreño said.

Quarantine restrictions in the National Capital Region and nearby areas have eased.

The government has likewise eased the rules for arriving passengers from abroad and has removed age restrictions for fully-vaccinated travelers to Coron and Boracay as well as the RT-PCR test requirement for fully-vaccinated traveler to Cebu, Negros Occidental and Tacloban.