Surviving the financial meltdown

Just received an email from my former UP College Cebu student, Anne Chan-Climaco of Northwest Airlines, that announced the official merger of Delta and NW. Also received a press release regarding Crown Regency Hotel & Towers’ latest offerings – the thrilling fun activities on its top floors. The games are the first of their kind in the country, found atop the highest hotel in the Philippines.

Innovative moves like the ones I mentioned are the key elements of survival in the era of economic downturns. Anathema to the dire situation is the attitude to hang one’s head and feel overwhelmed by despair. Never say die, that’s the catchphrase to latch on to.  

Take, for instance, the pioneering move of the management of Crown Regency to launch their Sky Experience Adventure (S.E.A.) on December 10 with no less than Pres. Gloria Arroyo and DOT Secretary Joseph Ace Durano as guests of honor. S.E.A. is an entertainment park on top of Cebu’s tallest building. On the 38th floor is the Edge Coaster, a thrill ride that enables the passenger to tilt the car up to 55 degrees for a view of his/her choice while going around the edge of the building. Edge Coaster is the first of its kind in the world!

On the 37th floor, on the other hand, is Skywalk Extreme – the first in the Philippines! One walks on the edge of the building, without handrails, on a 4-foot wide trail. Similar to the one I experienced in Macau, the thought of which makes my palms sweat. And on the 18th floor will be a playroom for the younger members of the family to enjoy while the adults become daredevils for just a few minutes, hoping that the thrill will last a lifetime.

Come-ons, like these, make Cebu an attractive destination, continually renewing itself for local and foreign tourists to appreciate. As what Sec. Ace Durano repeatedly stresses: it is one thing to get tourists to come to our country, but it is best to entice them to return for more visits. So must the hospitality industry continually improve on its facilities and services. Like the renovations ongoing at Marriott Cebu City Hotel or the welcome addition of such a cozy boutique resort inn as Microtel Suites near Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa. Quintessential luxury spots like Chi Village in Shangri La’s Mactan Island Resort & Spa put Cebu on the tourism map, just like Plantation Bay’s making it at 16th place to Conde Nast Traveler Magazine’s list of Top Resorts in Asia – the only one from the Philippines!

No doubt about it, Cebu has the natural offerings at par with the world’s best. More importantly, our human resources can outshine those of neighboring countries. Our people have what it takes to be superior workers and leaders. Proof of this is the thriving BPO community in our midst. And the call centers will be around, providing needed livelihood and income generation in Cebu. This phenomenon has taken place, despite the fact that English education among the younger set is fast deteriorating. We can do what it takes if we set our minds to it.

Businesses must re-align – and are already doing so, as I write this. The airline industry is one of the first to feel the impact of global economic crunch. As such, it has been re-aligning to survive. Northwest Airlines is now a “wholly owned subsidiary of Delta.” Consequently, the New Delta hubs are deployed to Atlanta,Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City & Tokyo, and will now have over 375 destinations in 66 countries. The merged company will be employing 75,000 personnel worldwide.

Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson reassures in his formal announcement that Delta and NW passengers will continue to use their respective airlines until the final merger by end of 2009. Delta loyal patrons will still log on to www.delta.com, while NW passengers will go to www.nwa.com for reservations, check-in and check baggage requirements. That goes for the implementation of the Sky Miles and World Perks frequent flyer programs. The North America tie-up of NW with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will also continue, as usual.

Meanwhile, local business enterprises will do their own re-assessments and sprucing up to contend with a trimmer market and sharper competition. Coffee Dream Coffee Inc. of Cebuano entrepreneur Glenn Soco is investing on a multi-million peso re-branding process with a UP Cebu Fine Arts student but under the eagle eyes of world-renowned Cebuano designer Kenneth Cobonpue. I find this such a marketing savvy set-up. One realizes that a lot of international and national coffee shops have established a Filipino coffee drinking lifestyle, then one niches on the mass market, reassured with the reality that local is almost always cheaper. Then, one gets the best of local talent to come up with a new chic look to entice that mass market with a heightened self-image. That’s business congruence to the hilt.

Re-branding, fine tuning, pruning and trimming. These are the buzzwords in today’s business enterprises that spell survival in the months – no, years! – ahead. Meanwhile, traveling is forever as we find ourselves going to places for all the right reasons, recession or not.

So, stay well and travel safely -- and wisely -- in these straitened times.