Cebu is taking steps towards reviving domestic tourism with the rollout of a marketing campaign, confident that it is ready to welcome back travellers exactly a year after the Philippines first entered a nationwide lockdown.
As part of the campaign, the I Love Cebu online platform (traveloco.ph/ilovecebu) is offering up to 70 per cent discount on airfares, tours and accommodations until April 30.
Lara Constantino Scarrow, director of sales and marketing at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, said the campaign offers great deals “while stimulating interest and reminding people that Cebu is still the ideal destination”.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Promotions Board has allocated funds for a number of milestone projects this year in Region 7, including Cebu.
Pre-pandemic, Cebu topped the country’s foreign arrivals, followed by Boracay. It is also popular among domestic tourists twinned with Bohol and as the jump off point to other island destinations in the Visayas.
Alfred Reyes, president of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu, said the “sustained campaign” came as Covid-19 is under control, vaccines have arrived, and the destinations strictly practice health and safety protocols for responsible travel.
Cebu is also the country’s second international gateway after Manila, making the city more accessible to travellers; while Visayas islands can also be easily accessed via Cebu, said Margie Munsayac, Bluewater Resorts vice president sales and marketing.
Munsayac said Cebu is a “complete destination” with beaches north and south, mountain resorts and urban cities, as well as quiet and retreat spaces. The city is also a hub of culinary delights, heritage and culture, wellness and faith-based tourism, she added.
Aines Librodo, head for airline marketing and tourism development, GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., said Cebu’s international airport is ready for both domestic and international tourists, pointing out that the safety protocols for both domestic and international travellers are the same.
However, she suggested that plans have to be laid out to prepare for the return of travellers, particularly in issues pertaining to travel clearance requirements, such as whether vaccinated foreign tourists will still be required to undergo RT-PCR test and/or be subjected to mandatory quarantine upon arrival.
These issues have to be made clear as “we don’t want travellers to be confused,” Librodo emphasised.
She added that changes in travel curbs and opening up of travel bubbles should be announced very early on to allow tourists time to plan and prepare their trips, and take advantage of travel deals. She cited the example of the UK’s announcement made on February 27 on the easing of lockdown in May, resulting in “a surge in bookings for holiday packages”.
Malaysia’s prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, has unveiled a fresh RM20 billion (US$4.8 billion) economic stimulus package – one year after the country imposed its first lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is the sixth package to be rolled out to tackle the pandemic fallout. Dubbed The People and Strategic Empowerment Programme (or ‘Pemerkasa’ for short), the RM20 billion package will include targeted assistance to the tourism sector which has been deeply impacted by lockdowns and travel restrictions imposed to stem the Covid-19 spread.
To support the recovery of the tourism industry, the government will extend tourism tax and service tax exemptions on accommodation provided by hotel operators until year-end. Tourism companies can also defer their monthly income tax instalment from April 1 to December 31.
Muhyiddin said the tourism sector will also be provided entertainment duty exemption on admission fees to entertainment venues, including theme parks, sporting events and competitions.
The government will also give a one-off special assistance grant of RM3,000 to tourism businesses registered with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia.
Further, the scope of special relief on individual income tax of up to RM1,000 will be expanded to include expenses on travel packages purchased from travel agents registered under the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
To assist cash flow and reduce operating costs for hotels and theme park operators, convention centres, shopping malls, local airline offices and travel and tour agencies, a special 10 per cent discount on electricity bills will be further extended by three months until June 30.
The wage subsidy programme for the tourism industry has also been extended for another three months up to end of June.
Muhyiddin also said the government will no longer impose a blanket movement control order (MCO) which restricts travel movements across the country. Instead, the government will implement a more targeted Covid-19 containment strategy backed by science and data to reduce the negative impact on the country’s economy.
The government has also beefed up its budget for the national Covid-19 immunisation programme from RM3 billion to RM5 billion to achieve herd immunity by December, rather than the initial target of 1Q2022.
While some travel trade organisations have welcomed the various stimulus initiatives, especially the easing of travel restrictions, others have bemoaned the inadequate funding for the tourism and hospitality sector.
Lauding the government’s announcement that no more blanket MCO will be imposed, KL Tan, president of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), said: “MATTA has long been advocating the application of an analytical risk-based approach based on scientific data towards managing people’s movements as opposed to blanket travel restrictions. This is a positive step forward to rejuvenating domestic travel.
“The industry is also looking forward to the managed reopening of international borders now that the vaccine rollout is underway.”
Malaysian Association of Hotels president, N Subramaniam, hoped the government will consider giving higher subsidies to the tourism sector. He said: “The extension of the 10 per cent discount on electricity bills until June is insignificant, especially at times when hotels are operating at low occupancy rates.”
Agreeing, the Malaysian Budget & Business Hotel Association national deputy president, Sri Ganesh Michiel, opined that the initiatives offered little help to the struggling tourism and hospitality industry.
He proposed that efforts undertaken by the federal government should also be followed by all state governments and all government agencies that can provide assistance to the tourism and hospitality industry, as this will help to revitalise the hard-hit sector.