2 NCR HOTELS AWARDED WTTC ‘SAFE TRAVELS’ STAMP FROM THE D.O.T.
TWO five-star hotels in Metro Manila have been awarded the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp issued through the Department of Tourism (DOT).
These hotels are the Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites Manila, in the Ortigas Business District, and the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. This is the first time the DOT is granting these WTTC stamps, after the Philippines became the 100th country to receive the stamp itself last September. The private global tourism organization recognized the country as having the appropriate health and safety guidelines in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, in keeping with the WTTC’S core requirements.
In a news statement, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said, “Following [the country’s] milestone, the DOT has taken the role as Safe Travel Ambassador, advocating the implementation of the Safe Travel protocols and the enrollment not only of tourism enterprises, but more importantly, of destinations that are compliant with said protocols.”
She enjoined more destinations and businesses “to secure this seal of good housekeeping to better leverage our country as a safe tourism destination.”
Will it help though?
THE DOT has tried to further push
domestic tourism in the country by allowing four- and five-star hotels in the National Capital Region and other areas under general community quarantine to offer staycations to Covid-weary families.
(See, “‘Staycations’ now allowed under GCQ, but rapid testing required,” in the Businessmirror, September 28, 2020.)
To date, there are 15 hotels with staycation accreditation: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Makati Shangri-la Hotel, Okada Manila Hotel, Shangrila at the Fort, Nobu Hotel/hyatt Regency/nuwa Manila in the City of Dreams, Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites Manila, Edsa Shangri-la Manila, Solaire Resort and Casino, The Peninsula Manila, Aruga by Rockwell, Sheraton Manila Hotel, Hilton Manila, and Hotel Okura Manila.
Despite this, the Makati Shangri-la has decided to close its doors temporarily starting February 1, citing “continued low business levels,” due to ongoing international travel restrictions. Prior to being a staycation hotel, it was accommodating returning overseas Filipinos and expatriates who needed to quarantine while waiting for their Covid test results, said a company spokesperson. (See, “Another Covid victim: Makati Shang closes doors in February,” in the Businessmirror, Jan. 20, 2021.)
Grand Hyatt for instance, reported its occupancy levels between 3 and 8 percent last November.
A tourism leader observed, though, that part of the problem for staycation hotels is that “they are offering pre-pandemic [room] rates.” Indeed, a casual glance through online booking platforms like Agoda, show room rates of many of these staycation hotels starting at P8,500 to P10,000 a night.
“Why would families want to staycation, when they can pay for the same rate in destinations that are already open, like Boracay, and get more room nights,” asked Jose C. Clemente III, president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines.
A staycation hotel insider who requested anonymity admitted that the demand for rooms at their establishment was “not as much as we would want to have. The added cost of the antigen test could be a burden for many families can’t rule out the safety aspect too.”
The source said even though its antigen partner charges P1,500, “If you’re a family of three, that would be P4,500, which some feel they could spend on food already.”
What the stamp means
THE WTTC Safe Travels Stamp is the world’s first-ever global safety and hygiene stamp. It is a specially designed stamp, which will allow travelers to recognize governments and businesses around the world that have adopted health and hygiene globally standardized protocols and experience “Safe Travels.”
Aside from being promoted on the web sites and social media platforms of the DOT and its marketing arm, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Safe Pass recipients will also benefit from global exposure and the vast network of WTTC member organizations, as well as brand awareness with the logos distinctly posted on the WTTC web site.
“While our staycation hotels are highly qualified, having already passed the DOT health and safety guidelines on top of the rigid star-rating assessment, they still need to apply [for the pass],” said Romulo Puyat. “As bearers of this stamp, they carry the responsibility to sustain implementation of DOT health and safety guidelines and ensuring that these remain aligned with those of the WTTC,” she asserted.
The DOT, she noted, will aggressively pursue its campaign to enlist local destinations that have reopened so that when international travel restrictions begin to relax, and with a successful vaccination program restoring global travel confidence, the Philippines will be “top-of-mind among the safest destinations in the world.” Dotaccredited enterprises may apply via their respective regional offices.