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TO boost
tourism even in secluded corners of the country, the
government is now dangling full incentives to hotel
accommodations to be put up in far-flung areas that are
frequented by tourists no matter how small they are.
Trade
Undersecretary and Board of Investments (BOI) managing
head Elmer Hernandez said the government is hoping that
by offering perks to investors, the lack of
accommodation facilities in various tourism destinations
in the country will be addressed.
Hernandez said there are several sites in the country
that could not fully exploit their tourism potential
because of this problem. “We have several tourism spots
that have no accommodation, so the tourists are
inconvenienced because they still need to travel to town
centers to rest instead of just staying in those places
for the night,” Hernandez told the BusinessMirror.
Hernandez said even if the facility to be put up is
small, the BOI will still grant full incentives to the
project to entice businessmen to invest in this kind of
activity.
An
example of this, Hernandez said, is the P4-million San
Jose Baggao Country Inn in the Cagayan province.
The
area, he said, is frequented by tourists for its natural
beauty and the existence of numerous caves.
To
provide accommodation to tourists so they do not have to
go to the capital to spend the night, Hernandez said the
owner of the project converted his old house into a
hotel.
The
project will receive full incentives from the BOI,
topped by income-tax holidays of up to eight years.
“It’s
this kind of activity, although it is small, that will
help in boosting our tourism potential,” Hernandez said.
He noted
that in other countries, even the far-flung areas have
sufficient accommodation for tourists, and this is what
the Philippines should emulate. |
