Asean tourists could cover for EU ban loss

OUTGOING Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said the next administration should tap Southeast Asian travelers to cover for the projected $250-million losses incurred as a result of the European Union (EU) order banning Philippine carriers from flying in European airspace effective April 1.

He said the government and the private sector should work together to tap travelers from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), as well as China and India, because European travelers accounted for 10 percent of tourist arrivals in the last three years.

 ?The impact of the EU ban will be reflected in the second-quarter report of the tourism revenues,? said Durano. ?We should begin to tap Asean travelers because, surprisingly, Europe has a bigger share of tourists in the Philippines than those from Asean countries.?

Asean groups Brunei, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Durano said the government should take advantage of the competitive rates being offered by budget airlines operating in the Philippines and Southeast Asian countries. These include Cebu Pacific, Tiger Airways, as well as Jet Star.

The EU ban on Philippine carriers was based on the assessment of the International Civil Aviation Organization in September 2009 and the downgrade of the country?s safety rating by the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2008.

Besides the usual travel favorites from the US and Japan, Durano said the Philippines has recently been able to tap tourists from China, South Korea, Russia, India and the Middle East.

 ?But the growth in tourism will come mostly from this [Southeast Asian] region and these include the Asean countries, as well as China and India,? said Durano in an interview at the site inspection of the $5-million restoration project of the Maestranza Wall in Intramuros.

He said the tourism industry grew year-on-year by 10 percent to 15 percent in the first quarter through combined efforts of the private sector and the government which has tapped markets.

 ?The momentum [of growth] is private sector-driven and as long as the private sector is engaged in tourism, then we could sustain this growth,? said Durano.

He said the latest investment in tourism is the P500-million leisure development of Ayala Corp. in El Nido, Palawan.