The Hotel Sales and Marketing (HSMA) Philippines expects the revitalization of travel and tourism as restrictions ease up and more people get vaccinated.
HSMA chair Margie Munsayac said the group is looking forward to a recovery towards the third to fourth quarters, albeit slowly, as markets reopen for key markets like the NCR Plus for point-to-point travel in areas under looser quarantine.
Munsayac said in Cebu for example local tourists are a mainstay during weekends and business travel is resuming such that the load factor of airlines flying in and out of Cebu has reached 60 percent.
“We should see higher percentages of recovery for the fourth quarter,” Munsayac said.
Rose Libongco, chair of Virtus Awards, said HSMA members continue to be resilient as they respond to needs for quarantine facilities, accommodation for returning overseas Filipino workers and housing for workers even as they slowly accept leisure travel.
Benjie Martinez, HSMA vice president, said hotels and resorts are now engaged in creative selling by bundling their rooms with other products and services like food and beverages , banquets, spas etc.
Martinez said a number of hotels have also qualified as multiple use, reconfiguring their facilities to accommodate both guests in quarantine and meetings or events following stringent government audits.
Libongco said HSMA sees the industry to be a major source of employment again in the country.
“We see glimmers of light for our tourism industry. Hotels and resorts will be in the forefront of this revival,” said Libongco. “After the limitations posed by this crisis, people are eager for the social and emotional connection denied them by quarantine and isolation.
Hotels and resorts are poised to fulfill that need with the staples of leisure, refuge, recreation offered and the focus on well being, relaxation and comfort,” said Libongco, who announced S.N.A.P. (Survive, Neutralize, Adapt Programs), is this year’s theme for the Virtus Awards, which will recognize individuals and member-properties that were able to quickly pivot and address the evolving challenges brought about by the pandemic–and emerge stronger.
