Not willing to be hampered by poor infrastructure or a lack of promotion any longer, the Philippines wants to woo premium travellers with its new crop of luxury hotel openings and attractions
Manila is now experiencing a boom in luxury hotel development
When a group of travel consultants took up the cudgels and organised the Asia Premium Travel Mart (APTM) – the first high-end B2B tourism event in the Philippines – in May, it exposed major hurdles in harnessing the destination’s immense potential as a luxury destination.
First and foremost was the lack of knowledge on the Philippines, which was what prompted Fe Abling-Yu, president of S8 Exhibition, to organise APTM.
“We have been attending luxury travel market shows abroad. The closest one in Shanghai is a huge show, but there are no Philippine sellers except (for) Eskaya, which is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and the Manila Peninsula, part of the Peninsula Hotels group,” said Abling-Yu.
“We tell buyers to bring their clients to the Philippines and they ask, ‘Where’s the Philippines?’” she added.
However, owing to limited government funding, the private sector was forced to rely on themselves and pooled their own resources for APTM, according to the show organisers.
“We lack government support,” lamented Edwin Villanueva, director of S8 Exhibition, who added that despite being a johnny-come-lately in the luxury market, the Philippines has huge potential to tap the luxury leisure, MICE and wellness segments.
On his part, Philippine Tourism Promotion Board (TPB), COO, Domingo Ramon Enerio III explained to TTG Asia that they had supported APTM financially.
In agreement with private sector sentiments that more marketing is needed, the NTO chief said: “We have to be more aggressive with our combined efforts (on) the premium markets.”
On a more positive note, travel consultants observed that the country is fast catching up in its cache of luxury developments, despite ongoing challenges such as the need for more infrastructure and upmarket properties outside of popular destinations like Manila, Boracay, Cebu and Palawan.
International luxury hotel brands like City of Dreams, Conrad, Shangri-La, AccorHotels are coming into the country. “(These companies) won’t be investing here if they didn’t think that the country is ripe for premium travel,” Abling-Yu pointed out.
Wilson Techico, vice president – business and product development of Uni-Orient Travel, which has been offering customised services for high-end travellers, is confident that given time, the Philippines will develop as a premium destination. “We now have luxury hotels, resorts and facilities that were absent five or 10 years ago,” he said.
A growing number of destinations within the country are now becoming accessible, thanks to helicopter services and airlines like Skyjet and Air Juan which are targeted at high-end travellers.
Targeting premium travellers, who spend more and stay longer than average visitors, also reap higher dividends for tour operators, noted Shan David, president, Corporate International Travel.
Current luxury trends now include beach, culture and shopping sprees. Also becoming popular are men’s leisure golf and gaming, especially with the opening of the two integrated resorts, Solaire Resort & Casino and City of Dreams Manila, observed trade players.
This article was first published in TTG Asia, November 13, 2015 issue, on page 26. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.
