Tourism players told to pool resources

CEBU, Philippines - With the global economic crisis taking toll on the country’s tourism industry, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia urged tourism stakeholders to pool their resources and come up with unique and attractive packages to present Cebu as a viable alternative tourism destination.

Garcia said, during the opening of the Tourism Congress at the Cebu International Convention Center yesterday, that the strength of Cebu lies in the concerted efforts on capitalizing on domestic tourism citing the success of the “Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Caravan,” which has helped promote new destinations that both the local and foreign tourists can enjoy at a lesser price.

The Lady Governor added that studies have shown that during recession, people tend to travel more except that they travel differently because their plans are scaled down, their destinations are changed, and value for money becomes a top consideration.

“While tourism as an industry is as vulnerable as others in the economic downturn, tourism does not cease during a crisis. Experts told us that it is possible for tourism players not only to survive but to thrive in a crisis if they are willing to adapt to the new realities and are able to present a more viable alternative. This puts us and our direction towards countryside tourism, in a unique position of opportunity,” said Garcia.

Garcia further said that “we need to prepare ourselves for the expected opportunities that these difficult times may bring to our industry. For while, the global economic crisis is real, so are the opportunities for tourism and for Cebu. We stand to profit tremendously from the exodus of tourists who are avoiding the traditional destinations of choice.”

Meanwhile, Alice Queblatin, the managing director of Southwind Tours and Travel, Inc. and the past president of the Cebu Association of Tour Operators (CATO) suggested that the province and its tourism stakeholders must come up with a brochure or a fiesta calendar that will feature and showcase the different festivals in Cebu.

She said that with this calendar, travel and tour operators can create tour packages that are tailored fit to these festivals and sell it to domestic tourists so that they will be encouraged to visit Cebu.

“We have to create a package that sells our fiestas. We have to make it sustainable by making it profitable for the business and tourism stakeholders,” said Queblatin.

On the other hand, Department of Tourism Central Visayas regional director Patria Aurora Roa said that their agency is dealing with concerns on how to further enhance Cebu’s feat in the domestic tourism as well as address the factors that hinders the growth of Cebu’s domestic tourism.

She said that along with the provincial government, they have created a team that is concerned in addressing the problems on the lack of clean restrooms in our countryside destinations, which has always been the concern of most travellers.

Roa said that the Governor has identified the problem on lack of clean restrooms in her tourism program and so they are now pushing for the establishment of stopovers in Carcar in the South and Catmon in the North which will serve as centers where tourists can access clean restrooms on their way to the different countryside destinations in the province.

The Tourism Congress is one of the highlights of this year’s Cebu Business Month celebration.