GOLDEN Phoenix Hotel Manila said its business and that of the entire hospitality industry in the country have been affected by concerns on the continuous siege in Marawi City and the recent Resorts World Manila (RWM) incident.
“The hotels and resorts suffered in terms of cancellations, lost room nights and revenues,” Christine Urbanozo-Ibarreta Golden Phoenix Hotel Manila director of sales and marketing told the BusinessMirror.
Last month President Duterte declared martial law in the entire Mindanao region, amid the ongoing clashes between government troops and militants belonging to the Maute terrorist group in Marawi City. This is effective for 60 days as stipulated in the Constitution.
Following this declaration, six countries issued travel advisories to the Philippines, namely, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France and New Zealand.
A month after this war on terror, at least 280 suspected terrorists, 69 government troops and 26 civilians have been killed. Over 200,000 Marawi residents have been forced out of their homes by the ISIS sympathizers.
Meanwhile, a lone gunman identified as Jessie Javier Carlos attacked RWM early this month—a case of armed robbery and arson—which left 38 people dead, including Carlos.
“The average occupancy of our hotel, Golden Phoenix Hotel Manila, is at 93 percent. After the recent incidents, we are now doing 80 percent,” Urbanozo-Ibarreta said of the decreased turnout of guests following the terror activities.
“The same trend is happening in city hotels and the resorts. Bohol, Boracay and Palawan are already bearing the aftermaths of these.”
Arrivals of foreign tourist markets in the Philippines have nonetheless increased to a total of 1,784,882 in the first quarter of 2017, or over 11.4 percent from the same period last year, based on data from the Department of Tourism.
As a precautionary measure, Golden Phoenix has put security protocols in place and beefed it up by closely working with its provider, the hotel’s sales and marketing director said.
She noted they have already installed a security scanner at the lobby area, as well as key cards programmed on guests’ specific floors only, even prior to these terror acts.