A MONTH-LONG “nationwide Philippine shopping festival” will be held in the country in March to help spur domestic spending, Department of Tourism (DOT) undersecretary Arturo Boncato Jr. said Tuesday.
Major malls are expected to hold special promotions and sales to attract local and regional shoppers to the Philippines, he said.
Year-long seat sales, hotel discounts and the temporary waiving of travel taxes are also being considered to encourage tourists to travel to the Philippines despite the ongoing novel coronavirus scare.
The DOT is finding ways to entice tourists to “move around and spend in the middle of the crisis,” Boncato told a Senate panel.
“We have to activate and stir domestic tourism as an immediate response to the closure of China, HK, Macau, Taiwan,” he pressed.
The Philippine tourism industry lost about P14.8 billion in February 2020 alone, he said, noting that travelers are hesitant to proceed with bookings due to fears of contacting the virus that has killed nearly 1,000 people worldwide.
He added the DOT is also considering suggestions that government agencies should be encouraged to hold out of town meetings and seminars to the domestic tourism players. (with a report from ABS-CBN News/PN)
