Weak peso could boost tourism

Importers may be losing sleep over it. But for Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan, the weak peso is like a dream come true.

A weak peso would make the Philippines the ideal tourist destination because foreigners can get "good value products and services at a lower price."

He gave his rosy forecast on the country’s currency problems at the Regional Tourism Council general assembly in Cagayan de Oro City last Monday, where he announced the opening of a tourism office in Beijing, China, next month as part of his department’s sales and marketing effort in Asia.

Pagdanganan also revealed plans to create a culture of tourism that promotes not just the place but also the people, as he saw the good qualities of Filipinos as plus factors in bringing in tourists.

The Department of Tourism, he said, "would not only focus on promoting the tourism destinations of the country but would include promoting the Filipinos as a people."

But he asked the media to do their share by not highlighting the bad news that takes place in only a few places.

He particularly lamented stories in the national press that picture Mindanao as a troubled land.

"But it is not so, because Mindanao is a beautiful place and the negative reports happened only in a few areas. And it’s grossly unfair for the media to portray Mindanao with inaccurate reports. By and large there are a lot of tourist destinations on the island where peace and order prevail," he said.