By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
FOREIGN travelers, especially from South Korea and Japan, have been canceling their trips to Manila and Cebu because of the declaration of martial law in Mindanao.
As this developed, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said it continues to monitor the situation and safety of tourists nationwide, as a team prepares to leave for Seoul on Thursday to clarify the issues concerning martial law with Korean tour operators and travel agencies.
Flag carriers Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific Airways (CEB), also confirmed canceled bookings on scheduled flights from South Korea and Japan to Manila and Cebu.
President Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23, after government troops clashed with a local rebel group, called the Maute, in Marawi City. The joint military and police operation was to capture Isnilon Hapilon, head of the Abu Sayyaf Group, which has ties to ISIS.
“It [cancellation of bookings by foreigners] was expected to happen,” Tourism Assistant Secretary and Spokesman Frederick M. Alegre told the BusinessMirror. “But we continue to monitor the situation and have asked our regional directors to keep tourists safe,” he said. The agency received reports of the cancellations when its officials, led by Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo, met with industry stakeholders on Monday at the DOT office in Makati City. The stakeholders included representatives from the local airlines, hotels and tour operators in Cebu and Manila, among others.
He declined to say, however, how much losses the local industry stakeholders had reported from this new crisis. Many of these establishments are just starting to recover after travel advisories, issued by foreign governments against Central Visayas right before Holy Week, led to booking cancellations by many foreign tour groups. (See, “DOT still confident of meeting 8 million arrivals target despite Bohol cancellations,” in the BusinessMirror, April 22, 2017.)
In a text message, PAL President Jaime Bautista confirmed “the drop in bookings…mostly from Japan, Korea, and the local market as a knee-jerk reaction [to the declaration of martial law in Mindanao]. But we expect this to stabilize as more updates from the government are coming in.”
He added: “Advisory of assurance from the DOT and the government is much appreciated, so we hope to have this from the government.” He also said the drop in flight bookings are from foreign passengers flying in to Manila and Cebu.
Two hotels in Cebu, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan and Quest Cebu, received requests “mostly from Koreans, and a little of Japanese” for cancellation of P1.5 million worth of bookings, a hotel source said. “But when we explain to them how far Mindanao is from Cebu, they no longer insist on canceling their bookings. Only 5 percent to 10 percent of those who requested cancellations opted to postpone their trips to a later date, which we have allowed them to do.”
Both hotels are owned by the Gotianun-led Filinvest Development Corp. The source said no reports of cancellations have been received in its Alabang property, Crimson Hotel. Korean tourists usually stay about three to four days in the Philippines.
Cebu Pacific, meanwhile, said only 5 percent of its clients who have confirmed bookings to Mindanao have decided to rebook their flights to Mindanao to a later date or to another destination.
Charo Logarta-Lagamon, CEB director of Communications, said, “When we’re asked if the flights to Mindanao are pushing through, we say yes, and they usually push through with their flights. Those who ask if it’s safe to fly there, however, we have to just tell them to take the usual precautions as advised by the government, like bringing a valid ID and such.” CEB flies to 14 destinations in Mindanao, but not to Marawi nor Iligan City.
She declined to disclose cancellations by foreign passengers, but said, “any cancellations are expected [owing to the martial-law declaration]. But we expect to make up for these during other peak periods.” Aviation sources said the airline received canceled bookings “from Korean group tours” going on its scheduled flights to Manila and Cebu.
Alegre, meanwhile, said he will be heading a delegation to Seoul that will meet with Korean tour operators and travel agencies, in a bid to reassure them that it is safe to travel in other parts of the Philippines not covered by martial law.The Philippines is targeting 6.5 million foreign visitor arrivals in 2017, although unofficially, it is eyeing 8 million due to the commitment of the Beijing government to send 1 million tourists to the Philippines this year.
In the first two months of the year, 1.2 million foreign visitors arrived in the Philippines, up 10.88 percent from the same period last year. Koreans continue to be the top visitor market, accounting for 25.2 percent of the total arrivals for the period, while the Japanese accounted for 8.7 percent of the total volume.
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