What next after Miss Universe pageant hosting?

It would indeed be a wonderful start of the year for the Philippine tourism industry if the coverage of this Jan. 30’s Miss Universe beauty pageant finals would reach its intended markets and boost the country’s tourist arrivals by a few tens of thousands more, not only this year but in the coming years.

Tourism officials have been talking about the free ride the Department of Tourism would get in terms of advertising exposure when the three-hour pageant is aired worldwide. Ad spend has always been a major issue for the DOT in trying to entice foreigners to visit the Philippines.

While there are skeptics who will cite the reportedly declining number of viewership, especially in the US, of the Miss Universe pageant, the recorded 6.2 million television viewers who tuned to watch the last airing is still a lot considering that the DOT target for total foreign tourist arrivals to the Philippines last year was only six million.

Of course, this has to translate to an actual decision by the viewer to visit our country, so a lot will depend on just how the coverage will be packaged so that our tourism gems will outshine the swimsuits, gowns, skin, curves and pretty faces of the pageant contestants.

Whether the results will yield a couple of thousands or hundreds of thousands, the best news is that not a single centavo will be spent by the Philippine government to air the pageant, and when the DOT is always watching its expenses, this is definitely welcome news. Good enough year

2016 was another good year for the local tourism industry as the DOT remained optimistic about achieving its target of six million foreign visitor arrivals to the country as well as $6 billion in revenues in both transportation – mostly airline – and the hotel industries.

The Philippine tourism industry is growing steadily, though still way below that of Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia – all of which have eight-digit arrival statistics – and not as fast as Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar who are our competitors.

Being a major contributor to the country’s gross domestic product and employing about 4.5 million Filipinos in various allied industries, the tourism industry is now given more importance by the government than a decade ago when arrivals were less than a million. New National Tourism Development Plan

A new six-year National Tourism Development Plan is on the drawing board, promising to become a more effective vehicle to sustaining the gains of the previous six-year plan, while being more aware and reactive to the competitive approach of other countries.

Over the years, the US market has slipped to second place in terms of generating visitors and revenues, with Korea surpassing the numbers by almost 600,000 tourist arrivals, and China coming in a strong third. The Miss Universe pageant hopefully will narrow this gap.

But much more work is needed to sustain the gains we have accomplished in the past years. We may have some of the best beaches in the world, but today’s sophisticated travellers are on the lookout for more than powder-fine sand and soothing sunshine. New initiatives needed

New initiatives that are in tune with travel enthusiasts’ adventurous inclinations are certainly welcome. The Philippines, for example, has a number of exceptional diving spots that feature endemic underwater flora and fauna.

The strong waves in selected Philippine waters are also finding a place in the minds of international surfers. The same is true for mountain climbers and eco-trail hikers.

Similarly, there is opportunity in being designated as a cruise destination, with a number of existing and new ports that can be developed to cater to international luxury liners’ holiday-seeking passengers.

On a different platform, the Philippines also shows immense potential for medical tourism and as a retirement hub. For the former, while our best hospitals may not yet compare to Dubai or Singapore, we have exceptionally talented professionals, including nurses and physical therapists.

The attraction to build retirement communities catering to expatriates is also huge, boosted by our almost yearround fair weather, affordable but competent health care, and friendly and dependable nursing aides.

It is also timely to promote the Philippines, once again, as a venue for meetings, international conventions, and exhibitions. We have, in the last couple of years, seen some new hotels being opened, not perhaps to the grandiose scale of some of Metro Manila’s big hotels built in the ’60s, but still contagiously charming.

And let’s not forget our bid to become a major entertainment and gaming hub. With the new world-class integrated resorts now operating in the 100-hectare Entertainment City in Parañaque City, we are seeing more tourists from Asia, especially China, coming in. Clearing stumbling blocks

Of course, there are still a number of stumbling blocks that need to be cleared to enable the Philippine tourism industry to grow by leaps and bounds.

Foremost of these is infrastructure – well-paved and well-connected roads, ports (for air and sea travel), telecommunications, better hospitals, and electric power reliability – in the pinpointed tourist destinations.

Since we have a president who comes from Mindanao, Davao and Cagayan de Oro are now at the top of the list of places to promote. It is essential that the peace and order situation in the south is restored to assure tourists to travel to that part of the country.

Let’s have better rules and regulations that will ensure tourists who travel inter-island will reach their destinations safely, comfortably, and on time. We need more bus services, airline operators, and ships that will deliver on these.

Finally, with the more active participation of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, there should be more public-private sector partnerships especially in areas where the government does not have the necessary financial, technical and human resources. Facebook and Twitter

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Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at reydgamboa@ yahoo.com. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www. BizlinksPhilippines.net.