It’s been three years since the lockdown was forced upon the world by COVID-19. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been 760,360,956 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, including 6,873,477 reported deaths, as of March 16, 2023. A total of 13,233,862,804 vaccine doses have been administered. It made a world of a difference.
Life goes on with revenge.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), “Economic growth proved surprisingly resilient in the third quarter of last year, with strong labor markets, robust household consumption and business investment, and better-than-expected adaptation to the energy crisis in Europe.”
The IMF said global growth will slow down from 3.4 percent in 2022 to 2.9 percent in 2023, then rebound to 3.1 percent in 2024.
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) also has upbeat figures. It can be recalled that the pandemic caused in 2020 and 71 percent in 2021, compared to 2019.
“International tourism is set to consolidate its recovery in 2023, backed by pent-up demand, particularly from Asia and the Pacific, as destinations and markets open up.”
“After a strong rebound in 2022, international tourism could climb close to pre-pandemic levels in 2023 driven by strong pent-up demand and the reestablishment of travel flows in most parts of the world, including the re-opening of several destinations and source markets in Asia, particularly China.”
Based on UNWTO’s scenarios for 2023, “International tourist arrivals could reach 80 percent to 95 percent of pre-pandemic levels this year, with Europe and the Middle East expected to reach those levels.”
The future looks good. People have learned to auto-pivot.
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The future is shaped by yesterday’s decisions and today’s actions. I asked representatives from the retail, medical, airline and food sectors how they survived the crises and pivoted to the new normal, the old normal and now, the “better normal.”
Pivoting is the new way to face the future.
Steven Tan, president, SM Supermalls
Business is indeed back to pre-pandemic levels. I think it’s because we started with the end goal in mind, to get back on our feet as quickly and painlessly as possible. The Sy family made a brave decision to waive rental fees for our tenants so that they could, in turn, support their employees during the lockdown. This kindness was extended to my own colleagues and even our agency personnel, who we have given financial assistance to. When vaccines became available, we assisted the government and offered SM as a vaccination venue nationwide. To date, over 10 million jabs have been done at SM malls. Mr. Hans calls it “reverse investment.” I call it compassion and care for our communities.
Cielo Villaluna, spokesperson, Philippine Airlines (PAL)
PAL has pivoted back to normalcy by building up our flight route network. As a result, our domestic flight frequency is now at 100-percent pre-pandemic levels. Our international flight frequency has yet to be restored to pre-pandemic levels, but we are working towards that.
Our new frequencies include the first nonstop flight to link the Philippines with Perth and the Western Australia region, starting on March 27..
PAL is also introducing non-stop flights linking Kalibo with Seoul Incheon in South Korea starting in April 2023, a new regional service targeting tourists visiting Boracay and the Central Philippines. The new route will complement recently expanded PAL flights between Clark and Seoul.
PAL will build up to daily flights to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Jinjiang and Xiamen this April, while increasing service to Beijing to six weekly flights in May. New island-hopper routes from Clark to Coron (Busuanga) and Boracay (Caticlan) in April are expected to further stimulate domestic tourism.
PAL is resuming regular flights between Manila and Macau this April, completing a major expansion of services to eight cities in Greater China. PAL now offers a combined 42 weekly flights to Hong Kong and Taipei from Manila.
PAL’s service innovations include the upgrading of its widebody fleet to significantly improve the experience of traveling on long-haul flights. Additionally, the airline is reactivating more aircraft that had been parked during the pandemic, with its entire fleet of 75 aircraft expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2023.
A new Port-to-Door Service allows cargo customers to have their shipments delivered to their doorsteps, hassle free.
The New Mabuhay Lounge for international departures at Manila airport’s Terminal 1, by late 2023, will feature a contemporary design and a younger, trendier vibe, offering a food and beverage buffet service, shower rooms and free Wi-Fi in a premium haven good for pre-flight work or relaxation.
In 2022, PAL carried 10 million passengers. We look forward to registering a higher passenger count this year, now that the flying public is on revenge travel amid open borders and lesser travel restrictions.
Malu Gamboa Lindo, owner/general manager Milky Way, Cirkulo, Azuthai and Tsukiji
Thankfully, our restaurants survived the pandemic as we were able to serve our food for take-out and deliveries. Tsukiji’s sushi boats, Milky Way’s halo-halo kits, Azuthai Zoom party boxes and Cirkulo’s party platters continued to grace our regular clientele’s tables.
What we lost during this time were the many parties, meetings and celebrations that we are used to having in our building. Well, these are back with a vengeance! People are done staying at home! Celebrations are back in full force, and how! We are so grateful to have survived the pandemic complete, not having lost any of our staff to COVID-19. We’re focusing this year on adding staff, improving efficiencies as the cost of everything has increased. We’re just happy to be back and appreciating all these that we have more than ever.
Dr. Jonas del Rosario, spokesperson, Philippine General Hospital
We have reverted back to dealing with our non-COVID cases, many of whom were neglected and coming back in a more complicated state since they were unable to follow up or could not be accommodated in the past. Yes, we have more elective surgery cases as well. *