Travel is a public service

Studies published by the London Business School, McKinsey & Company and just about every other think tank confirm that travel, tourism and hospitality have been the most severely affected industries of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of this writing, international travel is down by some 97 percent, hotels, resorts and alternative lodging by 89 percent, fine dining restaurants by 84 percent, casual dining by 75 percent and fast-food chains by 48 percent. It is a bloodbath.

Making matters worse is that tourism-related industries are seen to be the last to recover. Studies estimate that it will take eight months to recoup three-fourths of pre-COVID volume while full recovery will only be realized after a vaccine is made commercially available. This could take 18 months to two years, according to the Cooper Academy of Investments.

It’s a shame since the country was on its way to breaching the 9.5 foreign visitors mark this year for which we could have earned $10.7 billion in revenues. As it stands today, we will be lucky to generate even a fourth of that.

The tourism industry accounts for 13 percent of all jobs in the country or about 5.7 million positions. These jobs are in peril what with bankruptcies facing thousands of tourism-dependent establishments. We need to find a way to save these jobs.

Fortunately, our domestic tourism is strong. As of last year, about 120 million local trips were recorded that generated a whopping P3.2 trillion in revenues. Domestic tourism has grown by 15 to 20 percent a year since 2012.

The challenge to the Department of Tourism is to harness the strength of the local market to keep our airlines, hotels, resorts, restaurants and service providers in business. Perhaps to coax Filipinos to travel with the same frequency as they did last year is no longer realistic, but to achieve even half of 120 million trips will be enough to prevent the mass layoff of tourism workers. It will also keep the livelihoods of our boatmen, tour guides and souvenir vendors in tact.

Since February, Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat has been working with airlines, hotels and restaurants to offer special rates to domestic travelers. Discounts are substantial with some hotels offering as much as 75 percent off from their normal rates.

By April 30, the quarantine will be lifted and there is a good chance that domestic travel will be allowed again. For those able, I highly recommend to take advantage of the great promotional offers and travel around the country.

Just as staying home was a form of public service, travelling is now a way of preserving jobs and saving the economy.

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We were fortunate enough to take advantage of one of these deals before the domestic travel ban was raised last month. My wife suggested we take a short respite in El Nido (this was in March 12, just before the lockdown) to clear our heads.

We’ve been to El Nido before and stayed at the Miniloc Resort where privacy was the main attraction. This time, we wanted to be amidst the hustle and bustle of things. We chose to stay at The Apartments, El Nido, or APT El Nido for short, which is located in Barangay Buena Suerte.

It turned out to be a superb choice as the barangay is considered El Nido’s “party town.” There, you will find a network of streets dotted with restaurants, shops and hostels, all of different sorts and price ranges. Almost every cuisine is represented, from Greek to Ukrainian, Indian to Swiss. Of course, Filipino restaurants were aplenty along with bars catering to different types of clientele. Barangay Buena Suerte is the place for people who like trying different cuisines and for those who like to socialize.

It was exactly what my wife and I needed – it was the diversion we were looking for. What we appreciated most was that the streets were closed to cars and tricycles at 6 pm, making the whole district conducive for evening walks, restaurant hopping and bar crawls.

We made the right choice in choosing APT El Nido as our temporary residence. It is arguably the most luxurious place to stay in downtown El Nido. It was built to a modern design typical of new homes in Alabang. Our room had an adjoining sala, complete with a dining table for eight and well appointed kitchen. It is perfect for families or with groups of friends. We appreciated the butler service care of Leonito Edma, under the baton of resident manager, Gary Talampas.

Unlike other resorts in the area which are completely open to walk-in clients, APT El Nido is gated with tight security. Only guests and guests of guests are allowed in the premises. Having layers of security comes handy when there are many party-hardy tourists roaming the streets.

APT El Nido has its own fleet of speedboats that can take you around Bacuit Bay’s 45 islands. I was told that the speedboats were made in Tanza, Cavite, which made me proud.

We took a speedboat out on our second day. Captained by Ramil Leona and his crew, we visited the small lagoon in Miniloc where we kayaked around, snorkeled in the reef of Tapuitan Strait and had our lunch at Star Beach (named as such for the many starfish on the island). APT El Nido’s crew prepared a feast of frilled fresh seafood. Visiting these island make you realize why Palawan was named second best island destination in the world, according to Travel + Leisure Magazine.

We flew back to Manila on the 14th of March, just before the community lockdown and have been on house quarantine ever since.

Looking back, I am glad we took that short holiday. It gave us a chance to recharge and enjoy the sun, sea and sand before being quarantined at home for more than a month.

Until a COVID vaccine is developed, our tourism industry will largely depend on local tourists. So go ahead and travel… your 7,100 islands await! Consider it a public service.