Doing tourism wrong and right

It’s been two years since the pandemic and our tourism industry has not yet fully recovered. The 5.45 million foreign visitors generated last year was a mere 65 percent of the 8.3 million visitors realized in 2019. As of end-June, only 3.03 million foreigners visited our shores, a small uptick from 2023. Our island destinations are up against stiff competition from the likes of Bali, Phuket, Langkawi and Ha Long Bay. The DOT has to try harder.

To the credit of the Department of Transportation, some 70 airports and seaports were improved, expanded and night certified, with 350 more improvement projects in the pipeline. NAIA, the perennial cause of bad experiences, was privatized in record time. NAIA will be turned over to the San Miguel Group next month and we expect a dramatic transformation to take place.

Roads connecting ports to tourist destinations were improved too. Some 12,000 kilometers of new roads and 1,200 bridges were built and upgraded.

But as President Marcos said in his SONA, the focus should be on “experiential tourism.” This is an area where the Philippines can distinguish itself from the competition – or lose to it.

Let me share a story that perfectly exemplifies how experiences can make or break our tourism industry. This is a tale of two resorts.

How NOT to do it

To celebrate my birthday, my wife and I decided to take a six-day respite in Coron. We’ve never been there but heard good things about it. Searching the internet, we came across a resort with an attractive website and a slogan that read, “where luxury meets adventure.” As mature travelers, my wife and I can no longer rough it up. We prefer comfortable accommodations.

The website of this Busuanga-based resort wooed us with pictures of a well-stocked wine cellar, a pristine beach, well-appointed rooms and food prepared by professional chefs. So we booked and prepaid our stay.

When we arrived, we were horrified at what we saw. The place is old and rundown. The website photos must have been taken 15 years ago. There is no beach. Rather, it is in the middle of a bay infested with jellyfish.

The resort is located in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. We were trapped. I say trapped because once there, the resort charges you about P1,600 for a ride to town. They also charge European prices for food that is of poor sidewalk quality.

This is a resort where “No” seems to be the standard response. No, there is no internet in the rooms. No, there are no ingredients for the food we ordered. No, there is no good quality wine on stock. No, we cannot pay the per-head rate for the exorbitantly priced island tour but must charter the whole boat if they are unable to fill the minimum tourers. No, we cannot customize our island tour even if we chartered the entire boat. No, we could not buy our lunch outside but must order packed food from the resort. No, spa treatments are not on call but must conform to the resort’s schedule.

We decided to leave after just 22 hours. Despite not demanding a refund, the staff tried to charge us around P2,000 for airport transfer even if it was included in our package. Had we not pushed back, they would have added it to our bill. Thankfully, they did not charge us for the transfer and they off-set one night against our consumables.

Bad service and extortionary prices is no way to build a strong tourism industry.

Doing it right

While in that Busuanga resort, my wife and I were trying to stay positive despite feeling miserable. Evidently, we both wanted to just get out of there.

My wife secretly called her friend, Erwin Lopez, general manager of Discovery Boracay. Apparently, Discovery owns and manages Coron’s Club Paradise. The two arranged a transfer to Discovery’s Coron island resort. She broke the news to me and I was relieved. We are regular Discovery clients and know them to be reliable. We both didn’t mind paying for accommodations again at full price.

We were warmly welcomed by the manager, Joegil Escobar. He showed us the facilities, which included an all-day restaurant, expansive pool, spa and many more. The showstopper was the 700-meter white sand beach with clear waters suitable for both swimming and snorkeling for manta rays, turtles and manatees. A birthday cake and a bottle of Moët champagne awaited us in our well-appointed room.

It is the service that makes Discovery arguably the best Philippine hospitality brand. There is a culture of flexibility where they say “yes” to the client’s every request, so long as reasonable. In our case, they said “yes” to our request for keto meals and “yes” to our customized transfer arrangements. They even said “yes” to sharing their private music playlist when we asked for it.

Discovery also gets two thumbs up for their food quality and rotating breakfast menu. It surpasses five-star standards, thanks to F&B manager Jhun Abalingand.

But it was the cognitive service and unexpected gestures that really make the difference. The ice water, popsicles and cold towels on the beach; the birthday cabana set up; the personalized service from manager Shaun Cacacha; the letters and souvenirs from the resort manager and many more.

The entire staff was competent and respectful in a uniquely Filipino way. Fun fact – Discovery is the pioneer of the hand-in-heart bow which I reckon should be the national bow.

We salute John Tiu, CEO of Discovery World, for showing us how to deliver excellent Filipino experiences. Perhaps the Philippines can beat our regional competitors if we provide Discovery-like experiences across the country. Certainly, Discovery is ready for international expansion.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan