Travel agencies see the novel coronavirus (nCoV) scare to continue driving away foreign tourists and stressed this is the opportune time to encourage local tourism to fill the gap.
Richie Tuano, president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA), said this comes with lower air fares and accommodation rates, a perception shared by the Department of Tourism.
“Air fares will go down this year as indicated by Cebu Pacific and AirAsia so far and in response to the call of the Department of Tourism. The same will be true with hotels and resorts,” Tuano added.
Michelle Reyes-Victoria, PTAA treasurer, said long before the nCoV came, the group was already concerned about the affordability of accommodations for Filipinos and how this affects local tourism,” said.
Tuano said because of the virus scare, there has been a drastic drop in inbound tourists especially from South Korea and China, the number one two markets.
Because of this, Tuano said local tourism will have to fill the gap.
While a travel ban covers China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, travelers elsewhere are likely to cancel planned trips because of the nCoV scare.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat has conceded the travel ban to and from China will hurt hotels and airlines. Airlines and hotels, however, will offer lower rates to promote local tourism, she says.
Half of bookings have been canceled in Boracay, Bohol, Cebu and Palawan destinations and the Philippine Tour Operators Association estimates at least P10 billion will be lost due to the virus.
At the same time, outbound tourism is now being eyed by travel agents to countries that are not affected adversely by the nCoV scare.
Filipino tourists should be redirected to popular spots to augment the lost outbound numbers, Tuano said.
“We could concentrate on alternative destinations, and encourage Filipino tourists to other alternatives such as the Balkans, Turkey, South Africa, Morocco, Kenya and other underpromoted destinations,” he says.
