Palawan, Boracay, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, and Iloilo top the list of destinations tourists would like to visit once the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic restrictions are eased, a survey conducted by a property consultant showed.
Colliers said 43 percent of respondents picked Palawan, followed by Boracay (36 percent), Cebu (14 percent), Davao (3 percent), Bacolod (2 percent), and Iloilo (2 percent).
“This shows that the Philippines’ most popular places to visit remain the same after more than a year of lockdown and Filipinos will take the chance to visit them once it is safe and travel restrictions are eased,” Colliers said.
Colliers did not indicate when the survey was made.
Colliers urges hotel and leisure players to prioritize vaccination of tourism workers, implement staff training and refresher programs, provide booking flexibility and concessions, adopt a multiple-use model (hotels used as quarantine and staycation facilities), and target domestic tourists in line with the Department of Tourism’s local tourism push.
Colliers said it sees a slow recovery for the leisure sector especially with domestic and international travel restrictions still in place and new COVID variants dampening sentiment and travel.
“In our view, domestic travel will stoke the leisure sector first, particularly with the Philippine government’s thrust to improve hotel occupancies and revive local jobs. This is also in line with its goal of raising tourism’s contribution to the economy,” it said. ru
