WITH HELEN J. CATALBAS
WHEN power fails, water supply is inadequate and internet connectivity is lacking or erratic and they happen at the same time, destinations should forget about tourism promotion and marketing.
They should also forget inbound tourism if any at all. Their tourism managers, on the other hand, can embark on a successful outbound tourism without much hard work.
Unless tourists visit a destination for the absence of air-conditioned facilities and the melody of power generators, power failure is one of the worst things that could ever happen to a destination.
Through it all, the malls are bursting to the seams with people cooling themselves and not necessarily shopping.
Another tourism Waterloo is inadequate water supply. Can you imagine water supply from the service provider coming your way only once every five days or longer?
Unless destinations are attracting tourists who are non-users of bathrooms, they should stop pretending that they care about tourism.
Another enemy of tourism is lack or erratic internet connectivity unless tourists love the adventure of being reported missing by their relatives, friends and embassies.
These days for tourists, worse than losing one’s wallet and passport with visa is losing internet connectivity. This is a fact that is as obvious as the moon, the sun and the stars.
The powers-that-be should fix power outages, water supply shortages and lack of or unstable internet connectivity if they want tourism to grow and stay in their places./PN
