Staycation plus vaccine

If the government really wants to help save the tourism industry, then it has to be more creative about how to reopen hotels and resorts all over the country. I recently saw a feature story from South Korea where certain hotels were allowed to take reservations for buffet dining from people who were fully vaccinated. The promotional campaign was a two-part strategy that incentivizes people to get vaccinated and later allows them to book at hotels and restaurants at discounted rates. According to an outlet manager who was interviewed, their reservations were already running up to July.

In the meantime, here in the Philippines, Department of Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo Puyat is either fighting a tug-of-war or at times practically begging the IATF to ease up or open up some destinations or outlets to prevent the total collapse of the tourism sector, particularly in the NCR and major destinations. So far the only thing that seems to be on the table are “Staycations” where people can spend a few nights in a hotel subject to RT-PCR tests and strict compliance with health protocols. That unfortunately will hardly stir the pond, except perhaps among people who can’t stand each other at home and have so much money to spare.

On the other hand, why not pick-up on the growing trend of “Vaccine Tourism” that I know has been happening in parts of the United States as well as Europe. My Dutch brother-in-law John recently shared how he got vaccinated in the castle of “Count Dracula” in the town of Bran, Romania. Not only did he get to see the castle and get vaccinated, he was even featured in a news story that was all part of the promotional campaign about getting jabbed for COVID-19 and not bitten by the “Count.”

With all the talk about vaccines and vaccine slots “for sale” that turns out to be simple scams, what we have learned is that people are willing to pay for the jab. What I can’t figure out is why certain states or countries can actually promote vaccine tourism while the Philippines seems to be under the gun or constant warning of the World Health Organization that they will stop the supply if vaccines become commercialized. Is this because the vaccines are all donations? What about the ones that the private sector bought or that the government paid for?

I respect the concerns and proactive controls of the W.H.O. but I sure don’t want our country and those who are willing to pay for it, to miss the Two for One opportunity. If we can’t commercialize vaccines, then perhaps we can at the very least align the services of the DOH/LGUs with the services and facilities of hotels, resorts and similar tourism outlets, many of which have clinics, a full time nurse on call and so much space for comfort and convenience. Give the jabs for free for residents and registered tourists but make it part of a special staycation-vaccination package that saves jobs, revives business and restarts the economy.

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With everyone’s attention focused on COVID-19, we easily forget many things until a non-COVID tragedy strikes and reminds us. Take for instance two fires that hit Metro Manila six days apart. The first one was in Barangay San Miguel, Pasig that burned the 60 homes of 100 families and six days later another fire struck the Baseco compound, burning even more homes. It was the Baseco Compound fire that reminded me about a multi-story housing project that Manila Mayor Isko Moreno talked a lot about early in his term. I honestly have no idea how far the project got and how much longer it will take to complete, but it was a project that was suppose to reduce such community fires because the condominium style housing would be doing away with congestion, construction with light materials and improve the quality of life for the poorer Manileños.

Most people who only think in terms of tenement housing for the poor should research on the history of Singapore and how the collective vision and wisdom of a small group of people used such housing projects to miraculously transform Singapore’s wastelands into housing communities. When I first visited South Korea, their example of vision and wisdom was to dig deep and go underground to build commercial stalls that were sold to their citizens, thereby creating more market areas and store space. According to our local host, the money generated from selling several levels of real estate on top of each other was then used to finance much of Seoul’s MRT/Train system.

Whether it’s Divisoria, Binondo, Baclaran, etc., we always hear the lament of sidewalk vendors who can’t afford to buy “rights” inside public markets or can’t afford the rent in private wet and dry markets. The country’s mayors and national leaders need to wake up and start copying the successful business models of countries such as Singapore and South Korea. People must be able to own property, whether residential or commercial, and it must be done through long-term affordable payments. When there is a sizeable population or volume of payments, even such installments would generate cash flow that government can borrow against or invest in other things. Giving poor citizens the means to own a home or a business space that is illegal to sell will be a game changer, and there are many success stories abroad to prove it. We simply need to start somewhere.

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