Philippine hotel owners hopeful for high occupancy for Holy Week
MANILA, Philippines— Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) is encouraged by the anticipated high occupancy in hotels and resorts as travelers observe Holy Week.
“I have been receiving feedback from our members that bookings are rising, which is very encouraging,” PHOA president Arthur Lopez said.
PHOA, one of the largest private groups of hotel owners, investors and developers in the Philippine tourism industry with 300 active members, welcomed this development.
Benito Bengzon, PHOA executive director told Philstar.com that while they do not have readily available figures on the pre-pandemic Holy Week occupancy, the group is closely monitoring the bookings this Holy Week. They are optimistic that this could jumpstart the recovery of the pandemic-stricken accommodation sector.
The hotel group said that with the relaxed inter-zonal travel requirements, Filipinos can take advantage of the Holy Week holidays which spurred the demand for both the city hotels and resorts.
“The high demand is a welcome development for the accommodation sector, which has been severely impacted by the pandemic in the last two years. The return to pre- pandemic levels will take a while but at least we are seeing stronger demand across different traveler segments,” Lopez said.
The hotel group exec said that amid the high demand, the hotel members would strictly implement health and safety protocols in their properties.
“We are committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable stay for all our guests. We will therefore ensure adherence to public health standards in the entire customer journey,” Lopez said.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat last month said that tourist arrivals in the country have been gradually picking up. She added that the Department of Tourism looks forward to an uptick during the summer season and the Holy Week break.
As of April 7, 2022, the Philippines recorded 202,700 foreign tourist arrivals. The increase in tourist arrival came as the country now accepts fully vaccinated foreign leisure travelers with the most relaxed entry protocols, including quarantine-free entry, while also allowing visitors to freely travel to reopened destinations around the country.
“We are proud to say that our entry requirements are delivered in a simple format, without the need for facility-based quarantine primarily for fully vaccinated visitors. Tourists are allowed to travel to all reopened tourist destinations in the country as long as they comply with the requirements from the local government units with jurisdiction over these areas,” Puyat said in March.
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