Philippine tourism

Until a decade of ago, the development of Philippine tourism was in fits and starts. Erratic.

As a result, the Philippines has been a laggard, No. 5, far behind its ASEAN neighbors in arrivals.

Worldwide, tourism is an $800-billion business; 9 percent of global exports; in ASEAN, $36 billion, 12 percent of the region’s exports.

Tourism is a much bigger business than guns ($112 billion) but no match to the oil trade ($10 trillion at 100 million barrels a day times $100 per barrel).

Interestingly, the Philippines is third in the world in tourism employment, 4.895 million people, behind only India with 34.82 million and Japan with 5.889 million. Thailand is 4th with 4.258 million, according to WTO.

In the world, France is No. 1 in both arrivals, 48.4 million tourists a year, and receipts, $40.8 billion. No. 2 in arrivals is Mexico, 40.8 million; No. 2 in receipts is Spain, $34.8 billion.

Tourism is a cash cow and a savior of the economy. Our tourism is booming.

Today, the Manila Overseas Press Club, which I chair, honors the individuals, families and enterprises who have made Philippine tourism such a valuable economic mainstay in recent years. They have invested so much in tourism, in leisure and business travel.

The bulk of hotel rooms built in the last decade came from just three families – Gokongwei, 5,000; Zobel de Ayala, 4,000; Andrew Tan, 3,500 – 12,500 in all.

We need immediately 10,000 new hotel rooms. The shortage is so severe we have among the highest hotel rates in ASEAN.

Private groups manage/own our major airports: SMC in Bulacan and Boracay; Gotianun and Gokongwei in Clark; Aboitiz in Cebu. To me, airports are still the government’s main accountability.

Today’s MOPC awardees are led by Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corp.; SM Group matriarch Tessie Sy Coson, vice chair of SM Investments Corp.; Kevin Tan, CEO of Alliance Global; Lance Gokongwei of Cebu Pacific and Robinsons Land; the Gotianun family of Filinvest and Clark Airport and the Zobel de Ayala clan of Ayala Corp., the Philippines’ oldest company.

Ranking government officials led by Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Housing Secretary Jerry Acuzar of Las Casas de Acuzar and Albay Rep. Joey Salceda get awards for their lifetime work to promote tourism.

Honored with a huge trophy donated by BizNewsAsia are:

Restaurant of the Year: The Aristocrat; chair and president Raymund A. Reyes;

OFW Advocacy Award: OFW Partylist Rep. Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino;

Medical Tourism Enterprise of the Year: St. Luke’s Medical Center;

Hotel GM of the Year: Rosewood Hotel Group, New World Makati Hotel GM Nantha Kumar;

Hotel of the Year 2023: Fairmont Makati & Raffles Makati (Bernd Schneider);

Resort of the Year 2023: Crimson Resort and Spa Boracay;

Community-Based Tourism Champion of the Year: El Nido Resorts;

Heritage Tourism Award: Las Casas de Acuzar, Jose “Jerry” Acuzar, founder;

Airline of the Year: Cebu Pacific;

Mobility and Financial Inclusion:  Globe GCash Martha Sazon, CEO; PLDT Smart (Al Panlilio, CEO);

Tourism Developer of the Year: Newport World Resorts, Kevin Tan, chairman and Kingson Sian, CEO;

The MOPC Grand Tourism Awardees: San Miguel Corporation, Ayala Corporation and SM Investments Corp.

Special Grand Tourism Awardees: Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno and Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda;

Special Tourism Grand Award Citation: DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista.

Under Ramon Ang’s visionary leadership, SMC has made the greatest investments in tourism infrastructure by any company, public or private, topped by the $15-billion Bulacan San Miguel Manila International Airport, 964 kms of road rights, 4,719 megawatts of power generation, management of Boracay airport, development of Bugsuk, the next Boracay; Diamond Hotels and products from 100 factories that generate P1.5 trillion in sales or 6.8 percent of GDP and support 500,000 jobs.

The SM Group’s offerings for travel, shopping and lifestyle experience are sprawling and breathtaking – 3,512 retail outlets, 2,290 bank branches, 89 malls (including seven in China), 30 retail brands plus the largest Ikea in the world, nine hotels with 2,200 rooms, six convention centers, two trade halls and 22 integrated lifestyle cities. Truly, SM has got it all.

Founded in 1988 by the legendary taipan John Gokongwei Jr. and nurtured to phenomenal growth by his son Lance Gokongwei, Cebu Pacific is the Philippines’ most successful low-cost carrier and the biggest airline with 57 percent 2022 local market share and 14.8 million total passengers, up 335 percent. Cebu Air makes flying convenient and a thrill for every Juan.

The Philippines’ oldest company, Ayala has pioneered in real estate projects and economic centers that project a better life for the Filipino, good value to its stakeholders and a superior lifestyle for the country’s growing middle class. Its products and services – real estate (its hotels and resorts have 4,058 rooms), financial, telco, power, water, auto, health care, education and industries – capture the essence of life worth living.

As a three-term governor and six-term congressman, Joey Salceda made Albay a tourism juggernaut and major destination, thanks to a masterful strategy harnessing the synergies from the world’s most perfect-cone volcano, heavy infra spending, a new airport, a compelling narrative of legendary heroes, beauty queens, developing new attractions, culinary delights and local products and disaster resilience.

Secretary Diokno coined the concept and financed Build, Build, Build (BBB), the greatest economic recovery and tourism boost of all time. Cumulatively, state infra investments exceeded P5 trillion and yearly, 5 percent to 6 percent of GDP. As the world’s best central bank governor, he fought the pandemic with a P2.3-trillion cash infusion into the economy and vigorously pursued digitalization to connect 20 million families to the banking system.

Secretary Bautista is cited for his vision and mission to provide the masses with convenient, accessible, safe and affordable transportation; for ramping up the country’s transport infrastructure and for mandating sustainable mobility.

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