Is There a Culture of Tourism in the Philippines?

(based on the policy paper presented by Realidad Santico-Rolda, PhD “Tourism: Challenges, Responses, and Opportunity” to the Strategic Studies Group on September 21,2010)

Edited by Chester Cabalza

Background

TOURISM HAS ALWAYS BEEN associated with economics – of jobs, revenues, investments, and foreign exchanges. But tourism is also about the social and cultural aspects, reinventing and recreating traditions/cultures to inculcate patriotism and nationalism among the younger generation. This is one of the concerns of the Shanghai Expo 2010 when Old Shanghai was recreated and resurfaced not only for foreign consumption but also for their nationals especially the young who knew very little about traditions. Tourism is not all about tradition and culture but also about change.

Security is considered to be an important component of tourism. Even if resources are rich, potentials are great, and challenges are met, there is nothing could have increased the arrival of tourists but the country’s peace and order. Travel means spending a fortune, the peace and quiet and the serenity of the place is the value that we get for our money. Thus, we expect greater security and safety when traveling. Lastly, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore get more tourists than Filipinos because they do not have homegrown terrorists and criminals.

Major Issues/Controversies

The study revolves around answering the following questions:

1)Why do people travel? What is their concept and perception about traveling?

2)What are the challenges of the tourism industry? How do the officials and private sectors address these challenges? How does the government convert these challenges into opportunities?

3)What are the socio-cultural impacts of tourism?

Herein, the author tries to find out whether the challenges noted in the MNSA theses of Red (1973), Santos (1978), Ochoco (1979), Domingo (1998), Bengzon (1999) and Macayayong (2000) were the same for 2010.

Surprisingly, after thirty seven years, the same challenges like physical infrastructure continue to haunt the industry. Hotels and good roads continue to be the problems of the industry.

A Brief History of Tourism in the Philippines

The history of tourism may also be considered as part of Philippine history – of development and also of historical reconstruction. The construction of infrastructure like roads, hotels, airports to accommodate foreign guests may be considered as the advent of modernization. For domestic tourists in the past, need no hotel for accommodation, staying with friends and relatives were considered to be the best places to stay. Also, relatives were offended if they learned that they (relatives) booked in a hotel instead of staying with them. Many Filipinos still do this when they visit relatives in the US. It would be cheaper staying with relatives than the hotels. Balikbayans also stay with relatives when they come home to the Philippines.

In 1952, the Philippine Tourist and Travel Association (PTTA), a non-stock, non-profit organization, on account of its achievement was given a legal personality through Republic Act No. 710. Thus, its primary responsibility was to help the Philippine government in the implementation of policies related to tourism. The Philippine government, on the other hand, allocated P75, 000 on a yearly basis, to be spent on the “publicity, advertising, and public relations abroad.”

It was in 1956, when the Board of Travel and Tourist Industry (BTTI) was created and placed under the supervision of the Department of Commerce and Industry through Republic Act No. 1478. It was also coincided with marking (PTTA) as the “promotional arm of the newly formed body. Evidently, the Philippine government and the private sectors, started to be dependent on each other on matters concerning tourism.

During the time of President Ferdinand E. Marcos when tourism became the flagship of his administration. On May 11, 1973, he created the Department of Tourism “as a response to a different kind of tourism administration.” It replaced and strengthened the Bureau of Travel and Tourist Industry. Later on, the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) became the implementing arm of the Department of Tourism.

Fidel V. Ramos and Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo are two well traveled presidents of the Philippines. The objectives of their travels were to gain economic investments for the Philippines. On the other hand, Arroyo was responsible for the growth of domestic tourism and the proponent of economic holiday. She also rushed the enactment of the implementing rules and regulations of the New Tourism Policy Act of 2009 (R.A. 0953) without consulting the private sector as required.

Challenges, Responses, and Opportunities

Though national security is the greatest challenge to the government to make the Philippines a tourist destination, there are many challenges that confront the government and must be addressed in order for the industry to succeed.

The revision of the tourism policy of the Philippine has been the concern of the World Tourism Organization. This is an on-going project since February 2003. The investment put in by the United Nations Development Programme is to develop the Philippines as a tourist destination in Asia. The UNDP is aware of the potentials of the Philippines, particularly its natural and human resources. There were four consultants to assist the Philippines in four areas: Human Resource Development, Regional Planning, Local Governance and Community Development. (http:/drp4.pids.gov.ph/popn-pub/east asia-tourism, pdf).

Recent assessment of the tourism industry in the Philippines showed that it failed to meet the international standards set for Asia. The Philippines continues to lag behind her Asian neighbors like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and even Vietnam. Boo Chanco, also made the same observation in his column (Philippine Star). He said, that “it is embarrassing that our neighbors have left us behind in the tourism industry. For instance, about 10 to 14 million tourists, have visited Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. About seven million tourists have traveled to Vietnam and Indonesia. In the case of the Philippines, three million tourists came and most of them are balikbayan (June 7, 2010:B2).

The growth and development of tourism in the said countries continue to rise. World recession and some political problems, Thailand’s tourism was severely affected by the recent political turmoil. In fact, the Philippines Foreign Affairs department and perhaps other countries too, have advised their nationals not to travel for their safety.

Hence, it would be interesting whether or not the present administration will completely change the new tourism law and replace the head of the TIEZA with his own appointee.

While Thailand and China overcame their political and financial debacles, the Philippines appeared not to have resolved its problem. As such, the $2 billion revenues earned by the Philippines, through tourism, did not increase. An opportunity lost and its failure to open new jobs to ease the unemployment problem in the Philippines.

The Philippine government is determined to recoup its lost revenue and opportunity by adopting strategic programs:

1.Agricultural modernization
2.Leveling the playing field in terms of access to economic opportunities
3.Strengthening the capacity of the state
4.Sharpening the country’s global competitiveness
5.Using foreign policy in aid of development
6.Modernization of the rural sector
7.Creating a world class service sector
8.Promoting domestic competition
9.Creating magnets for foreign investment and development aid
10.Enhancing the assets of the poor
11.Modernizing the political and government administrative system.

Strategic Scenarios for Policy Considerations

Key Points To Consider

1. Accommodation - Majority of the respondents in the survey deemed to have traveled to Baguio, Bohol and Palawan with their families. Most of them stayed in a hotel but others avail of bank rest-houses. In staying at hotels, this indicates that the culture of tourism is emerging.

It is also important that private sector in partnership with the government, to improve the infrastructure and the hotels in particular. In fact, Cebu has 13,967 rooms; Boracay has 5,524 rooms while Bohol has 3,336 rooms (DOT Report, 2009). New hotels in Boracay have opened like the Shangri-la Resort and Spa, Seven Suites, Nandana Resort, and regency Lagoon.

About fifty percent of the respondents would rather stay in a hotel because they felt secured. There were security guards around to protect them. The Chinese, on the other, have preferences about the hotels they would want to stay. They went to the hotel where there are staffs who speak Chinese.

2. Food - In the past, Filipinos treated traveling as an excursion wherein they brought food in the hotel. Traveling is also about tasting the food of the host country which is part of the culture. One can even compare the food in one’s country with those served in the host country. Sometimes, the cuisines we have in the Philippines are differently prepared in other countries, even if they have the same name.

3. Senior Travelers - Senior citizens get a 20 percent discount in hotel rooms, transportation, restaurants, since the implementation of the Senior Citizen Act last July 6, 2010. It was noted that tourist between the ages of 61-69 compose 17 percent of the adventure-travel market worldwide while those over 70 make up four percent. Senior travelers believe that “it is one of the advantages of getting older, this freedom from responsibility. It means that senior citizens can take the risks as there are no more younger children to think about” (Weingarten, 2010).

4. Security Aspect of Tourism - It is clear that natural resources, cultural heritage, infrastructures, and other adventure activities are not sufficient to draw tourists to a tourist spot. The security stability of a place is most essential in the tourism industry. The expected response of the government is to continuously see to it that peace and order is maintained. Failure to do so means lost economic opportunity for the country. A social stigma may be attached to a country as most foreign nationals avoided the Philippines as a tourist destination.

Policy Recommendations

1)Sustain and maintain tourist policy of the previous administration especially if they contribute to the economic needs/interests of the Filipinos.

2)Provide continuous evaluation of standards like hotels, staffs, and other infrastructures to meet international standards.

3)Promotion/marketing of Philippine destinations be the object/and concern of the tourist offices in order to change the international image of the Philippines.

4)Although the hostage taking of August 23, 2020 is an isolated case. It is however, a case study of security/safety concerns of any host country to tourists. To institute change – the police, military, and even media. In the case of latter – emphasize the good news about the Philippines, not the bad news is concealed from the public – but emphasis must be more positive. Testimonials from tourists and foreign investors who have gone to the Philippines for the world to appreciate. It may contribute to changing the image of the country.

5)The airlines and airport facilities need to be improved in order to encourage more tourists to the country. With a new President and his known integrity and honesty, it can be considered as a come-on to tourists. Similar to what her mother, President Cory, did with her administration.

6)Open sky policy can be revisited by the Philippine government in order to strengthen the tourism industry.

7)Evaluation of the domestic tourism. Travel agencies promoting domestic tourism where foreign travelers are brought to various Philippine resorts, It may look into the Possibilities and even opportunities for religious pilgrimages where foreigners are brought to various churches in the Philippines from Quiapo to Intramuros to Antipolo and even Tanay and Morong, Rizal where old churches are found.

8)Casino as opportunities for promoting tourism.

9)Golf courses are also opportunities for foreign tourists to come to the Philippines.

Conclusion

One of the measures that the study used to determine the status of the country’s tourism industry as compared to neighboring Asian countries is the number of arrivals to the Philippines. This is one of the challenges that confront the tourism industry. Ensuring security, safety, and maintaining peace and order remained to be the biggest challenge to the Philippine tourism industry.

Also, response of the government to improve physical facilities, roads and hotels in collaboration with the private sectors, are not sufficient to increase foreign tourists in the country. Moreover, the Philippines physical landscape, i.e., an archipelago proved to be barriers to increase tourists to the Philippines as there is no border-crossing similar to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore where tourists can move from one country to the other through trains and busses.

Lastly, declogging of tourist resorts, that is, creating/developing more tourist destination so that Cebu and other urbanized areas most frequented by tourists can be decongested, in order to spread economic benefits brought by tourism to other areas like Catanduanes and other Bicol area as well as Davao.

References

Books
1.Bauer, Thomas G. and Bob Mckecher 2003 Sex and Tourism Journey’s of Romance, Love and Lust. The Howard Hospitality Press, New Jersey, U.S.A.
2.Richter, Linda K. 1989. The Politics of Tourism in Asia. University of Hawaii

NDCP Theses (unpublished)
1.Barbers, Robert Dean 2006. Tourism Development: A Peace Strategy for Mindanao.
2.Bengzon, Benito C., Jr. 1999. How Can Tourism Investments Be Enhanced in the Philippines?
3.Macayayong, Evelyn Alcaraz 2000. Improving Investment – Readiness’ of Selected Existing Tourist Destinations for Tourism Projects.
4.Domingo, Manalo Miguel 1998. An Organizational Framework for the Tourism Industry and Its Implications to National Security.
5.Ochoco, Claudio C., 1979. The Domestic and Foreign Tourism Promotion Programs of the Ministry of Tourism: Plans and Strategies
6.Red, Jimmy 1973. The Role of Infrastructure Development on the Growth of Tourism in the Philippines.
7.Santos, Nestor B. 1978. Tourism in the Philippines and the Relevance of the Hotel Industry.

Magazines and Newspaper’s Articles
1.Alcuaz, Vic
“Is 2010 A Big Year in Hospitality in F and B World, March-April, 2010.
2.Beltran, Cito.
The Secret of Z in Philippine Star, April 21, 2010.
3.Chanco, Boo
“Tourism Strategy” in Philippine Star, June 7, 2010.
4.Laude, Jaime
“Sayyaf Still a Potent Force” says AFP in Philippine Star, June 20, 2010.
5.Magno, Alex
First Person in Philippine Star, June 1, 2010.
6.Newsweek Special Issue on Tourism. May 24-31, 2010
7.and Lifestyle, Vol. 21, 2009.

Other References:
1.The Report on Tourism, p. 92-96, 124 Oxford Business Group, 2009.
2.Philippine Tourism: Stable Amidst a Global Tourism Downturn, DOT Report, 2009.
3.WTO and the Government of the Philippines join hands in tourism Policy Review
http://drp4.pids.gov.ph/popu-pub/eastasia-tourism.pdf.
4.Sidetrip Magazine Vol. 2 Issue No. 9 March-April, 2010.

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The views expressed in the policy brief do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Defense College of the Philippines. The readers are free to make additional copies or quote any part provided proper citations are made.