I’m very happy to see that our tourism industry is now in a frenzy with activities popping up on all sides, bringing us back to the same momentum we had before that nasty virus pushed all of us away to an unwanted hibernation.
Everybody is energized by the very positive mood prevailing over the whole industry that not a day passes without a tourism-related event, hosted by either a tourism organization or by an agency of our Department of Tourism (DOT)…and the mood is contagious.
After the Launch of the HoHo (Hop On Hop Off) Tour by the Makati City government and the Department of Tourism-NCR, meetings were immediately called among us, tourism organizations, to put together extension tour packages to various parts of the metropolis, in case the visitor wants to see other interesting places that may not be included in the HoHo itinerary. Naturally, our Tour Operators immediately put their heads together on how best we can showcase all our unique attractions.
Then came the directive from the Department of Tourism that we have to prepare tour packages for the many attractions in our country, to offer to the expected 10,000 visitors who will be in our country for the FIBA World Cup from August 25 to September 10.
This world event, participated in by 16 countries, comes ahead of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion Global Policy Forum on September 12 to 15, which is expected to bring in the top Finance Ministers and bankers from all over the world, for which we have also prepared attractive Tour packages for them to avail of while they’re here for the three-day event.
The Department of Tourism announced the draw for the winners of its Bisita Be My Guest Program, which gives attractive holiday prizes to foreign visitors and to the locals who invited them to visit our country. I was asked to be the privileged one to tap the computer key which would electronically select the winner from among the thousands of entries. It was quite gratifying to see all those entries that included practically all nationalities.
A friend and tourism leader from Subic, Jho Floresca, owner of Le Charme Suites in that destination, met with me to discuss a planned Subic festival in October, designed to draw in more tourists to that area. Naturally, it will have the full support of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, as it will be something new, attractive, and exciting for locals and foreigners to marvel at.
Another friend, energetic travel agent, Michelle Taylan, is cooking up another travel fair in late September this year where the main attraction will be a group of travel agents from Israel who are big in selling packaged tours to the Philippines and another group of Israeli tour operators who will be selling very affordable packaged tours to the Holy Land.
Meantime, I was in a meeting with Ferdinand Cruz, Tourism Officer of Taytay, Rizal, as we are putting together a caravan for car enthusiasts that will feature the unblemished beauty and attractions of the province of Rizal.
Domestic tourism, the bread, and butter of our industry is getting even stronger now more than ever as our citizens are enjoying experiential tourism to the new countryside attractions that are slowly opening up to visitors.
And, to clarify the “real score” on its much-ballyhooed tie-up with Grab, DOT gathered all of us leaders of tourism organizations. Grab has allowed DOT to use its app as a platform to make available local tours offered by our tour operators. This means that any visitor who may have a Grab app can easily book any local packaged tour and all the elements of such a tour will be provided for by the tour operator. Grab is just allowing the use of its app to make available whatever our tour operators are selling…definitely a win-win for our industry.
A group of Vietnamese tour operators visited Manila the other day to establish contact with our tour suppliers. It was a very successful event, hosted again by DOT, with the participation of our hotels and resorts. Our Vietnamese friends were able to seal deals with our tourism providers and were very happy with the B2B session they participated in.
Then came the “biggie” when DOT met with all of us, stakeholders, to introduce and get our feedback on the planned enhancement of our tourism slogan. When they asked me to speak on behalf of the group, I declared that I am happy with the current tourism slogan and the benefits it has brought us through the years.
But I also made it clear that I am always open to change because I subscribe to the saying, “The only thing permanent in life is change.” Besides, I get excited by anything new and I am looking forward to how the new slogan will make our country even more attractive. All of us in the hall liked what we saw.
When they asked us for feedback, I told them that the new slogan would become even more enticing if it comes with a beautiful jingle. With the overflow of musical talent of our kababayans, I’m sure someone can easily compose a catchy tune to go with it.
Ensuring that all bases are covered, the DOT, through the office of Director Vir Maguigad, of Tourism Standards and Regulation, met with dentists from all over the country to be sure that their dental clinics would be world-class, in preparation for our efforts to promote dental tourism. Frankly, I didn’t realize there was a significant number of foreigners coming to our shores to have their dental problems taken care of by our specialists.
There were many other Tourism-related events I couldn’t attend due to a conflict in schedule. But, one thing is sure—our Tourism Industry is, indeed, in a frenzy to reclaim its rightful spot in our country’s economic horizon. Talk about resilience and chutzpah! Nothing can stop our stakeholders now. Don’t you just love them? Don’t you just Love the Philippines?
YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE:
Why do people say “break a leg” when you go on stage? Because every play has a cast.
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