Philippine backlash to linger on

The deadly Manila coach hijacking is expected to leave a lingering effect on leisure travel from Hong Kong to the Philippines which, to begin with, is not a popular destination among tourists in the SAR.

Despite the lifting of the Black Outbound Travel Alert on August 24, all outbound traffic to the destination from Hong Kong remains suspended, including nine tours to Manila and 19 tours to Cebu and other Philippine destinations, according to Travel Industry Council executive director, Joseph Tung.

Tung cited a psychological effect from the 11-hour drama which killed eight and injured seven others. “People are still saddened by the incident and they wouldn’t go even if there was no travel warning,” he said. “I’d also say the destination hardly appeals to Hong Kongers due to absence of new development in cities like Manila.”

EGL Tours said it had shelved all tours to the Philippines in 2008. Senior manager of marketing and PR, Jacky Hui, blamed the poor tourism infrastructure and lack of satisfactory groundhandling agents.

“The destination hasn’t advanced in the last three decades and has remained as it was in the 1970s and 1980s. Therefore, it doesn’t suit the taste of Hong Kongers.

“Though the Philippine tourism office constantly persuades us to resume traffic, we have explicitly told them that this will not happen until the infrastructure and security issues are resolved,” Hui said.

Swire Travel destinations & events management general manager, Edmund Tsang, condemned the incident and said: “It is a pity that any Hong Kong sentiment to support Philippine tourism has come to an end. The world witnessed how apathetic the Philippine security forces were in their mission to rescue the Hong Kong hostages. I mean this in terms of the lack of organisation, lack of training, lack of equipment, lack of tactics and, most of all, lack of a sense of urgency.

“All of us in Hong Kong have much anger against such an irresponsible Philippine government, and are led to believe that the Philippine security forces and police are incapable of protecting their citizens and tourists alike.”

 Airlines have adopted a wait-and-see tactic with cancellation of bookings. A source said Philippines Airlines had received more than 500 requests for refunds and if the situation worsened, might trim its flight frequency. Cathay Pacific operates five daily flights and two weekly flights to Manila, while Dragonair operates five weekly flights. A spokesman said: “There is no change in the flight frequency and we are monitoring the situation very closely.”

Across the border, agents in Guangdong suspended traffic the next day of the incident and will fully halt tours to the Philippines from September 1 for four weeks “for the sake of tourist safety”. Several thousand customers are reportedly affected. China National Tourism Administration did not issue a travel warning but reminded Chinese travellers to be cautious when travelling to the destination.

Sourced=ttgasia