Travel ban

It can’t be avoided. Indeed, if only China did it before half of Wuhan’s 11 million population left for the Chinese New Year celebration, we probably wouldn’t see as wide an infection as we are seeing now, geographically.

In Rome, the coronavirus has brought its tourism sector to its knees. Tourist cancellations have reached 90 percent in Rome for March due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the cost of lost revenue to Rome restaurants is €3 million a day, with “thousands of jobs” at risk.

Cancelled hotel reservations, coupled with numerous cancelled events, has so far led to the loss of €1.5 billion to the tourism sector in Rome. That’s according to Stefano Fiori, president of the tourism section of Unindustria, quoted in Corriere della Sera.

In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has already ordered all elementary, junior high and high schools to close until the end of March. Hokkaido has declared a state of emergency. Summer Olympics is at risk.

In Singapore, some hotels are closing some floors to save on electricity and manpower, and have told their staff to use their annual leave by the end of May due to the lack of guests. Other cost-cutting measures include reducing restaurant opening hours and shortening times for services such as in-room dining.

Some 20 countries have confirmed their first cases in the past week. New outbreak clusters have formed across Europe and the Middle East.

The Lonely Planet website noted that while many countries have not yet reported COVID-19, that could change quickly and high-traffic areas such as airports and train stations pose higher risks.

Gloria Guevara, president of the World Travel and Tourism Council and former tourism minister of Mexico, said travel bans will not stop the spread of the coronavirus.

But who can blame government officials from taking drastic measures? We are dealing with a new and unknown virus. We don’t have a cure nor a vaccine.

The only way to slow down the spread of the virus is by isolating sick people. Problem is, as many as 80 percent of those who carry the virus show no symptoms, but can pass the virus on to other people.

To avoid infection, the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) currently recommends forgoing all non-essential travel to China, the epicenter of the outbreak, and South Korea.

The tourism industry is, of course, badly affected. Tourism stakeholders are running to their governments for help.

In Indonesia, the government has set aside $21.5 million to help lift tourism businesses, according to its minister of finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

Airlines and tour operators will be given incentives to encourage special discounts for foreign tourists. Some budget has been allotted for promotional activities and improving tourist areas.

Indonesia Transportation minister Budi Karya Sumadi also said the government would inject additional incentives of up to 50 percent for flight tickets to 10 tourist destinations.

Total support for airlines, including aviation fuel discounts and reduced aircraft passenger services fees, will be funded by the Ministry of Transportation, Angkasa Pura Airport Authorities and AirNav.

The Indonesian central government will provide grants to 33 district and city governments in the 10 tourist destinations in return for waiving hotel and restaurant taxes for the next six months, said Sri Mulyani.

Here, the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Congress of the Philippines has launched a domestic tourism campaign. They promise to come up with packages that cuts airfare and room rates to entice locals to go and fill the gap left by foreign tourists.

It is a good idea, but I remain skeptical of its success. That’s because I haven’t seen those packages being marketed and the Holy Week is just around the corner.

I have messaged Jojo Clemente, who heads TCP, for details and his response was sketchy. Our hotel owners are reluctant to bring down their rates to match those in hotels in Bali, Indonesia or Phuket, Thailand or Halong Bay in Vietnam.

So far, only 37 hotels and resorts are joining the marketing campaign directed at local travelers. Of this number, only 12 out of the 300-plus resorts on Boracay are offering discounted room rates.

Even in the best of times, our hotel rates are uncompetitive, which is why my family has often chosen to go abroad instead. I hope they are not just waiting for government handouts.

Forget the shopping spree as a domestic tourism ploy. The DOT folks who thought up the shopping spree idea used a survey done in normal times when there were foreign tourists. I think it is silly and dangerous at this time of the coronavirus. Health Secretary Francisco Duque doesn’t think it is a good idea.

As for travel bans, we can’t blame Health Secretary Duque for his hawkish approach. He erred badly when he allowed politics to cloud his refusal to impose a travel ban on China at a time when even China had travel bans on domestic and international travelers.

But our officials must make sure they have a proper balance. Travel bans on whole countries are probably uncalled for. A total travel ban on Japan mentioned by Sec Duque is probably too drastic.

Countries like Singapore, Taiwan and Japan are able to manage the coronavirus spread and a total country travel ban serves little good.

Then again, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned that travel restrictions would become “irrelevant” if the coronavirus became a pandemic because “you can’t keep out the entire world.”

For now, the DOT and DOH should have a strict protocol that hotels and restaurants must follow. Are hotels properly disinfecting rooms and utensils? Are restaurants, specially those offering buffets, protecting customers from potential infection when people crowd buffet tables? The DOT and DOH should do surprise spot checks.

We must help the tourism industry at this time of emergency. But they must also help themselves and not just depend on government.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco.