BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – Right after China advised its citizens to stay away from the Philippines due to security threats, Chinese tourists cancelled their Boracay Island reservations covering over 20,000 “room nights.”
By Department of Tourism (DOT) estimate, one tourist arrival is equivalent to three “room nights,” said Regional Director Helen Catalbas.
China issued the travel advisory Friday last week following the kidnapping of a Chinese teenager in Zamboanga Sibugay.
The initial cancellations cost between P150 million to P165 million in losses, said Catalbas.
Next to South Korea, China has the most number of tourists in Western Visayas, she revealed.
As of July 9, 2014, Chinese tourist arrivals reached 110,380.
The cancelled reservations in Boracay, one of the world’s best island resorts, covered the period from Sept. 13, 2014 to March 2015.
Boracay is one of the country’s top revenue-earning tourist destinations.
“The (immediate) adverse effect of the travel ban is much more than the effect of super typhoon ‘Yolanda’,” said Catalbas.
But the number of cancellations could still increase. Hotels and resorts that have so far reported were DOT-accredited.
The non-accredited ones have yet to file their reports, said Catalbas.
The warning from the Chinese Foreign Ministry read: “Given that the safety situation in the Philippines is deteriorating, the consular service of the foreign ministry is asking Chinese nationals not to travel to the Philippines for the time being.”
Airline companies with chartered flights from China have notified the DOT, too, of cancellations, said Catalbas.
She assured Chinese tourists that Western Visayas remains one of the most peaceful regions in the Philippines.
“We hope the travel ban will end very soon,” said Catalbas. “Chinese tourists have nothing to fear.”
Last year, DOT Region 6 recorded a total of 205,000 Chinese tourist arrivals.
Catalbas expressed hope that the cancellations can be offset by reservations from other countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and those from Europe.
As of July 9, 2014, DOT records showed 130,851 Korean tourists in the region.
In Manila, Malacañang said China’s travel advisory to its nationals will not have any negative effect on Manila-Beijing ties.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte reiterated the government’s commitment to protect Chinese nationals visiting the Philippines./PN
