Revamp underway

The reengineering of the Philippines? tourism machinery has begun with the election of Cynthia Carrion for a six-year term as chief operating officer (COO) of the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board (PTPB).

Carrion, Department of Tourism (DoT) undersecretary for sports and wellness tourism, won the votes of seven of the 10 members of the PTPB on March 23, after the first elections on March 18 failed to produce a clear majority as required by PTPB bylaws (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 25). Deputy executive director of the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation, Rosvi Gaetos, garnered five votes over Carrion?s four during the March 18 polls.

The 10 PTPB board members will meet with the new COO on April 14 to chart the direction of promotions while the Tourism Congress, the private sector consultative body created by the Tourism Law of 2009 to advise the DoT Secretary, will hold a session on April 7.

The future of the DoT marketing teams is also being reviewed as the law transfers marketing functions to the PTPB and lists specific criteria for team heads.

According to PTPB board member and Philippine Tour Operators Association president Cesar Cruz, the PTPB will come up with short-term and longterm marketing plans, decide on the line-up of trade shows to attend and determine the sustainability of present projects.

?Now, there is a set budget for promotions and we can move ahead with the provisions of the tourism law,? said Cruz.
The implementation of the Tourism Law of 2009 that overhauls the DoT and its allied agencies, however, has not been without controversy.

Industry members TTG Asia interviewed hinted at politics in the election of Carrion, who was the classmate and fitness instructor of President Gloria Arroyo. They alleged that Carrion had kept her distance from the trade throughout her term as undersecretary and did not have strong ties with the private sector.

Blue Horizons Travel & Tours managing director Arnie Bayag said: ?The tourism law should have been a positive development but has been marred by politicking. Now, I hope to see Carrion reach out more to us, her constituents.?
Cruz, who abstained during the March 23 polls, also urged the industry to give Carrion a fair chance. ?She might be the right person for the job at this point in time because she might have the clout to expedite the transfer of funds (before the June 30 change of administration).?