More infrastructure connectivity needed to boost tourism

The government must invest in more infrastructure to connect the Philippines’ various tourist attractions to attract more visitors, according to Loleth So, president of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) and the group commercial director of Megaworld Hotels & Resorts.

Tourist arrivals, according to the latest figures released by the Department of Tourism (DOT), reached 2.1 million from January to April this year, 0.82 percent less than the arrivals recorded for the comparable first four months of last year.

The January to April tourist arrival data were 26 percent lower than the arrivals in January to April 2019.

For this year, the DOT’s tourist arrivals target is 8.4 million, even though the agency had not met its 2024 goal of 7.7 million tourist arrivals and recorded only 5.95 million tourist visitors.

What was particularly concerning was the drop in arrivals of South Korean visitors, who had replaced the previous high volume of visitors from China.

South Korean tourist arrivals from January to April this year dropped by double-digit figures to 18 percent compared to last year, supposedly due to concerns about rising crimes against South Korean nationals.

However, Ms. So felt that blaming the drop in arrivals on criminality is a bit unfair, noting that criminality is not unique to the Philippines but is actually part of the hazards of traveling anywhere in the world. Within the confines of the hotels and resorts, she pointed out, the industry is quite vigilant in its security protocols.

Outside of the hotels and resorts, Ms. So said tourists and visitors must also take their own precautions to avoid areas that they might not be familiar with or where they may be exposed to some risks.

Ms. So argues that the more important factor that should be addressed by the government is the improvement of infrastructure that would allow for more connectivity for tourists who want to visit the Philippines’ various island destinations. She confirms that hotel occupancy is down to a low 60 to 70 percent because of the drop in tourist arrivals.

Thus, the upcoming third HSMA Sales and Marketing Summit is scheduled for June 19 at the Grand Ballroom of the City of Dreams Manila. The HSMA Summit, which is the flagship learning and networking event for hospitality professionals in the country, will tackle this year’s theme, “Leading the shift: Redefining hospitality sales and marketing for the next generation.”

The summit will highlight the industry’s need to embrace innovation, sharpen commercial strategies, and build future-ready teams amid the rapidly changing tourism landscape, according to Ms. So.

She added that “the HSMA Summit is where industry leaders and rising stars come together to shape the future of Philippine tourism. The next generation of sales and marketing professionals must attend not just to learn, but to lead. This summit gives them the tools, insights, and inspiration they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

The one-day summit will feature keynote presentations, executive panels, and specialized sessions covering critical topics, including the impact of government policies on hospitality businesses, with speakers such as Tourism Promotions Board COO Ma. Margarita Nograles and DILG Secretary Juan Victor “Jonvic” Remulla.

Other topics that the summit will also discuss are channel management and distribution strategies, revenue optimization and AI-driven marketing, and leadership development for the next generation of sales and marketing professionals.

Along with Loleth So, Agnes Pacis, HSMA director for education and vice president-commercial of SM Hotels and Convention Corp., stressed the need to help train and pass on their knowledge and experience to the young leaders of the hospitality industry.

They both acknowledged the fast turnover of hospitality practitioners. “After the pandemic, we were having difficulty hiring because a lot of the hoteliers had already moved elsewhere in terms of employment. Most of the leadership moved to other industries or abroad.”

Thus, Ms. Pacis acknowledged that a high percentage of their membership, up to 80 percent, “are all very young leaders, the next generation whom we want to be able to equip, because we’re not here to stay forever.”

The next generation of hospitality leaders, both Ms. So and Ms. Pacis said, will take over the hotels and HSMA, so they need to “really know how to do it, because it does not only take skills... it takes a lot of attitude, acceptance, commitment, and dedication to the craft.”

Ms. So added, “This is, for me, personally, my advocacy already, because we’re not being paid for this. No, this is voluntary. This is over and above what we do on a normal basis... organizing the summit alone, the logistics of it, getting the speakers, etc... it’s already a lot of work. So imagine if you’re not really committed to doing this for the industry and the whole association, you will not do it, because technically, it’s really taking a lot of your time.”

Ms. So expressed appreciation to her employers, “I’m very lucky because my current company, which is Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, is so supportive. I cannot thank them enough.”

HSMA, Pacis agreed, has its task cut out to help equip the next generation to become committed. “You cannot accomplish anything in one year. You have to be able to really do a lot of seeding when it comes to what you have to do for your respective hotel. It doesn’t take one year to make an initiative move. It takes a minimum of two years. So if there’s no continuity in your organization and you have a lot of turnovers, that’s going to be very difficult. So that’s what we want to instill in the young leaders.”