Host country
Next year the Philippines will be hosting two events that will put the nation in the international spotlight.
One is the ASEAN leaders’ summit and accompanying summits with the grouping’s dialogue partners. On the 50th anniversary of the regional grouping, its rotating chairmanship has fallen on the Philippines.
The other event is the Miss Universe pageant, which we asked to host. These beauty pageants are losing their appeal in a growing number of countries, but they’re still big here as well as in Latin America and perhaps India.
Maybe the two events will help reverse the negative reports being generated by a combination of developments: the continuing mass killings in this democratic, predominantly Christian country; the immature gutter talk and foot-in-mouth infestation in the halls of power; and the Abu Sayyaf’s kidnapping spree in Mindanao, now compounded by the deadly bomb attack on a crowded night market in Toughie Rody’s home city.
Instead of belittling negative reports in the foreign media, the administration should exert more effort to explain President Duterte’s words and actions in the light of his objectives, which are laudable and generally for the good of the nation. And I mean well-thoughtout, nuanced explanations, not counter-attacks through a barrage of inarticulate, crude and nasty commentary by cyberspace trolls, fearless in their anonymity.
Several prominent diplomats (no, the US ambassador isn’t one of them) and travel industry players have told me that the negative reports are starting to scare away visitors and investors from their countries. Even Chinese tourists, despite Beijing’s current love fest with Dirty Rody, are starting to stay away from the Philippines for fear of being harassed for suspected drug links.
And it’s not just prospective investors. Several of those already here, I’ve been told, are seriously assessing the potential for protracted instability and its impact on their businesses, which include call centers – currently among the biggest employers in the country. Our people need those BPO jobs.
Outside the country, Filipinos are among the most vulnerable to international opinion about their nation. We have about 10 million people employed by foreigners in almost every country and commercial ship. Their remittances have propped up our economy in the worst global slowdowns and fueled our consumer-driven growth. Although vulnerable to various forms of abuse and discrimination abroad, our workers will come home only if they see viable employment alternatives in their own country.
Our people have benefited from a globalized economy, and for the benefits to continue, certain norms of responsible behavior are required.
President Duterte is correct in emphasizing Philippine sovereignty and in announcing that he will be pursuing an independent foreign policy. But this must be tempered by the reality that we are heavily dependent on the international community for a lot of things and it’s in our best interest to be friends with the world.
Being a gracious host of international visitors next year can help restore our image as a hospitable people with tender loving care that comes naturally – one of our greatest strengths.
You can’t help noticing the TLC standing out when you see Filipinos working overseas together with people from other countries. It is so diametrically opposed to the image conjured up by a trash-talking president who wants to eat his enemies alive (hyperbole) and tells his shock troops to go out and kill, kill, kill (very real).
For next year’s hosting events, the country must be ready with the necessary tourism infrastructure – including hotels, roads, transportation and telecommunications facilities – plus the services that will make the events as hassle-free as possible for the visitors. President Rody has a lot on his plate.
The hosting of the 2017 ASEAN summit has been factored into the annual national budget. As for the Miss Universe pageant, the government has said it would not be spending for the contest. But the license to host the pageant will include a government guarantee in case the contest is canceled due to political instability, deterioration of peace and order, a natural calamity or similar problems.
The expenses include accommodations, meals and airfare for pageant officials and crew even during preparations for the event, publicity costs, and of course the fees for the venue and security for everyone.
Who will shoulder the expenses? It can’t be the Department of Tourism (DOT), whose funding is being slashed by about 26 percent to P2.23 billion in 2017.
The DOT’s branding campaign funding for 2017 is down by 74 percent, from P1.15 billion this year to about P300 million. That probably includes the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign, soon to be replaced by another slogan. For 2017, there is also no appropriation for the Tourism Promotions Board.
While slashing the DOT funding, the government is raising the tourist arrival target for 2017 to 6.5 million from the projected 5.9 million this year, and domestic tourist target from this year’s 70.5 million to 73.3 million in 2017.
For several years now, visitors from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s home country of South Korea have accounted for about a fifth of annual tourist arrivals in the Philippines, followed by Americans. Perhaps the Miss Universe hosting will encourage South American travelers to visit the Philippines.
The Duterte administration also aims to add about two percent to the number of people employed in tourism, for a total of 5.3 million, and to increase the sector’s direct gross value-added to about P1.3 trillion or about nine percent.
With the yearlong ASEAN-related events and the Miss Universe pageant, the targets may be achievable. What we should be aiming for, however, is making sure the travelers’ stay is pleasant enough to make them want to return – and tell their compatriots that the Philippines is worth visiting.