セブと中央ビサヤのツアー会社や旅行会社は、観光産業を復活させるために、観光省と協力して戦略をたてる意向を示しました。
観光産業は、セブの経済再生にとって欠かせません。コロナによって1年以上休業を余儀なくされた事業者は、自宅からの仕事をいまだにし続けています。
当局は、今後インバウンド、アウトバウンド問わず旅行客を増やし経済の再スタートを早く目指したいと切願しています。
各旅行代理店は、ひとまず国内の観光客にフォーカスして安全性を保った旅行プランを提供してます。
しかしながら旅行会社の資金的な側面における事業継続は、今後も課題で、まだ現状は良いとは言えません。
セブの産業の柱である観光が再生し、インバウンドの流入が開始されることを願いたいと思います。
“Cebu travel operators eye fully-vaccinated tourists as market”
Lambug Beach in south Cebu’s Badian
CEBU CITY – Tour and travel operators in Cebu and Central Visayas have expressed willingness to work with the Department of Tourism (DOT) in setting directions and strategies in tapping fully-vaccinated tourists as a come-in market to revive central Philippines’ tourism industry.
Desiree Chan, speaker of the virtual Tourism Coffee Table Discussion as part of the Cebu Business Month (CBM) 2021 on Tuesday, said tour operators and travel agents in the region have seen this as a stop-gap action plan as they appealed for economy-driven protocols to support the industry that was heavily impacted by the pandemic.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis, she said, has a tremendous effect on travel and tourism with the majority of travel establishments temporarily closed for over a year now, while others have shifted to a “work from home”’ (WFH) arrangement, if not ceased to operate at all.
Chan said market demand from both inbound and outbound tourists and a good restart of the travel business are crucial in the quest to reopen the economy.
She said the forecast of a 2024 return of international arrivals to pre-Covid levels under a new normal scenario sounds really concerning.
Tour operators and travel agents now focus on domestic tourism and serving the essential travel needs of passengers, she said, stressing that travel and tour core business comes from out-of-town clients who need package tour components for their convenience, safety and security.
“Business continuity is still our biggest challenge as far as financial planning is concerned. The travel situation has not improved. In fact, it has worsened these past weeks as we enter mid-2021,” Chan said.
She said the government can plot out policies affecting international arrivals such as the required isolation protocols, flight diversions and unpredictable border shutdown that would discourage vaccinated travelers from coming.
She added that domestic tourism is not that appealing due to diverse health protocols among local government units. (PNA)