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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Tuesday, June 20, 2017
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MANILA – Amid the tension and martial law in Mindanao, the Department of Tourism (DOT) may find it difficult to promote the Philippines to foreign tourists.
It may bode well for the DOT to redirect marketing strategies to local tourists, said Nancy Binay, chairwoman of the Senate tourism committee.
Binay wants to know the department’s “short-, medium- and long-term plans for tourism in the light of the current situation, travel advisories, and (the Philippines) being tagged as one of the world’s dangerous destinations.”
In April travelers from Europe, Japan and the United States cancelled their trips to the Philippines due to clashes between government troops and the Abu Sayyaf Group in Bohol. Australia, Canada and Korea also advised their citizens to be extra cautious when traveling to the region.
In May the American and British embassies in Manila warned their citizens against going to Palawan and its capital Puerto Princesa after receiving information that terrorist groups were planning to kidnap foreigners there.
The Philippines’ image has suffered from negative perceptions abroad, Binay said.
“Marami na ang nag-cancel ng bookings at kaliwa’t kanan ang travel advisories dahil sa kaguluhan,” she said. “Baka mas lalo lang tayo mahihirapang i-promote ang Pilipinas dahil mas matagal ang airtime at newscast tungkol sa mga nangyayari sa Pilipinas kaysa sa 30-seconder na TV commercials. ’Di pa kasama diyan ang mga lumalabas sa social media.”
It may be a good time for the DOT to go local, the senator said.
Four out of 10 Filipinos aged 15 years old and above travel within the country, she said, citing Philippine Statistics Authority data.
Nearly 26 million Filipinos 15 years old and above travelled within the country in 2012, while 53.7 percent of domestic tourists was aged 15 to 34 years, the Household Survey on Domestic Visitors showed.
“Baka pwede munang i-reassess ang strategy na instead na foreign market ang focus natin, baka pwedeng mag-concentrate din tayo sa domestic market,” said Binay. “It’s also another growth area in terms of tourism. Sayang lang ang mga ads na pinapalabas natin kung mahihirapan lang naman tayong ibenta ang Pilipinas abroad.”/PN
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