Hotels slash rates to spur domestic tourism

MANILA, Philippines — A number of hotels around the country are now offering discounted rates in support of the tourism sector’s push for the domestic market, the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) said.

“Take advantage of these deals for the domestic market being offered by more than 30 of our partner hotels, resorts and supported by our largest domestic carriers,” the TCP said in a Facebook post.

“Save as much as 50 percent off on published rates for your next travel adventure to these destinations around the country,” it added.

Among the hotels in Luzon offering discounted rates are Ace Hotel & Suites, Crimson Hotel Filinvest City, Diamond Hotel Manila Bay, Discovery Suites Manila, Golden Phoenix Hotel Manila, Quest Plus Conference Center Clark, Seda Nuvali, Seda Residences Makati, The Bayleaf Cavite, The Bayleaf Intramuros and The Linden Suites.

Meanwhile, Boracay hotels offering lower rates include Astoria Boracay Resort, Belmont Hotel Boracay, Citic Hotel Boracay, Coast Boracay, Crimson Resort and Spa Boracay, Discovery Shores Boracay, Fridays Boracay, Le Soleil De Boracay, Movenpick Resort and Spa Boracay, Savoy Hotel Boracay, The Muse Boracay and The Auhana Boracay.

In Palawan, Bacau Bay Resort Coron, Club Paradise Palawan, Seda Lio and Sheridan Beach Resort & Spa Palawan are joining the push for domestic tourism.

Also, Cebu hotels Bluewater Maribago Resort, Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort, Crimson Resort & Spa Mactan, Marco Polo Cebu Hotel and Quest Hotel and Conference Center Cebu are slashing prices from their normal rates.

Other hotels offering discounts include Marco Polo Davao and Seda Abreeza in Davao, Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort in Bohol, Seda Atria Hotel in Iloilo and Seda Capitol Center in Bacolod

More properties and destinations are also on the way. Keep “checking this site for more details,” the TCP said.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) and other stakeholders earlier announced that they will roll out more value-added packages, discounted accommodation and marked down prices on domestic flights as part of efforts to boost the domestic tourism sector as foreign arrivals are expected to be affected by the temporary travel ban from China and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

In line with this, the DOT recently announced that it will hold the first Philippine Shopping Festival in March, a month-long sale aimed at generating more spending from tourists.

“This ambitious project, designed to increase tourism expenditure in the country, would not have been possible without the full support and cooperation of the nation’s mall operators, retailers, franchise holders, hotel and tour operators and travel agencies,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said earlier.

Puyat earlier emphasized the growth of the domestic tourism market over the years, as it already registered 111 million domestic tourists in 2018, exceeding the 86 million domestic tourist target for 2022 under the National Tourism Development Plan.

While 2019 figures have yet to be released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in March, Puyat said this is expected to surpass the previous year’s numbers as Boracay was already opened in 2019.

“So we expect it to be higher than 111 million,” Puyat said.

Despite the threat of COVID-19, she expressed optimism in the continued growth of the domestic tourism sector.

“You have to note that during the H1N1 and the MERS, domestic tourism increased,” Puyat said.

“But it’s going to be the first time that the airlines will cut their rates, the hotels will even cut 50 percent off their published rates just to spur domestic tourism,” she added.