THE HOLY Week for Christians is a time to recall the events leading to Jesus’ death by crucifixion and his resurrection. Millions of Filipinos this week will troop to various churches for the traditional Visita Iglesia. This is the time for the renewal of faith.
This week also provides an opportunity for family reunions and is a time to visit famous tourism places in Metro Manila and the provinces that were restricted in the last few years, when Covid-19 curbs impeded travel. Philippine tourism will experience a renaissance this week, which is good news for our small entrepreneurs and the general economy.
The Holy Week gives our fellow Filipinos a valid excuse for revenge travel after three years of being cooped up in their homes as the pandemic raged until early last year. I don’t blame our kababayans. This is the time of the year to renew bonds with their loved ones and relatives, and one of the best ways of enjoying the homecoming is spending the days or nights on a beach, mountain and spring resorts, or simply in their ancestral homes.
I can imagine the droves of tourists and vacationers swarming around provincial bus stations, ports and airports to get their ride to the provinces. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines expected two million air travelers going to and from various provinces starting Sunday to observe the Holy Week in their hometowns.
The prospect for Philippine tourism, indeed, is looking up. Our international visitor arrivals in the first quarter of 2023 jumped over 10 times to 1.32 million from just 102,031 in the same period last year.
Foreign visitors, per the Department of Tourism data, accounted for 1.227 million, while visiting overseas Filipino workers represented 105,568. The arrivals soared as more nations lifted their border restrictions and the Philippines reopened its top destinations to local and foreign travelers.
South Korea, according to the same DOT figures, continued to drive Philippine tourism with 346,192 arrivals in the first three months of 2023, or 26 percent of the total visitor traffic.
The United States accounted for 241,334 or 18.1 percent of the total arrivals, while Canada and Australia contributed 66,699 and 63,468, or 5 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively.
Visitor arrivals in the Philippines hit 2.65 million in 2022, exceeding the DOT’s target of 1.7 million by nearly 1 million. Tourism revenues jumped 2,466 percent to P208.96 billion, or $3.68 billion, from 2021.
The resurgence of the travel sector is one major economic driver that directly generates jobs. Higher occupancy rates, for one, mean increased spending for the hotel or resort establishment. This same hotel will raise its food expenditure and buy from local farmers and fishermen. The farmers, in turn, will beef up their income and spend the money on fertilizer or clothes.
Host communities benefit a lot from increased tourism activities. Both foreign and local travelers often buy souvenirs, which in turn create secondary employment. Sales of the local sari-sari stores operating in the nearby beach resort or diving destination will have higher sales. Boatmen, too, will increase their income as tourists hire their motorized bancas for island hopping.
Our tourism potential is big — we have one of the finest beaches in the world. The worldbeachguide.com — an England-based website that rates beach spots around the world — ranked two Philippine beaches among the “Top 100 beaches on Earth 2023.” It listed the Hidden Beach in El Nido, Palawan in fourth spot and Boracay’s White Beach in 19th.
The positive ranking is a clear endorsement of the two Philippine destinations to European travelers, who are partial to Thailand and Indonesia in this part of the world.
Boracay has retained its charm despite its closure in 2018, when former president Rodrigo Duterte described the island resort as a cesspool because of poor sewerage and overdevelopment. It remains a popular destination where tourists can enjoy wind surfing and snorkeling, and comb the beach and its white powdery sand.
Tourism is one sector that every government should develop to allow seamless travel to our tourist destinations. Tourism connects cultures, and stimulates the local and regional economy. More importantly, it fosters inclusive growth.
***
This piece first came out in Business Mirror on April 3, 2023 under the column “The Entrepreneur.” For comments/feedback e-mail to: 11bv.secretariat@gmail.com or visit www.mannyvillar.com.ph./PN
