CEBU CITY, Philippines—Tour operators in Cebu expressed dissatisfaction over the “lack of direction” and “lack of focus” that the Aquino administration, through Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, was showing on the tourism industry.
Lim, however, said some of his critics were being manipulated by people who wanted him to stop espousing an open-skies policy, which would allow foreign airlines to operate in domestic routes in the Philippines. Jennifer Franco, Tourism Congress vice president for the Visayas and Cebu-based travel agency operator, said it was time for the tourism department to convene all tourism players and discuss the next steps in promoting the Philippines as a top tourist destination. “We are not happy about what is happening. The honeymoon period is over for the DOT (Department of Tourism),” said Franco, also Cebu chapter chairperson of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas). On Tuesday, Franco said members of her group visited Lim in his office but until now, “there has been no formal meeting to discuss any tourism roadmap or what to do after he assumed his role (as tourism secretary).” Lim said the criticisms being hurled at him could be coming from disgruntled members of the Tourism Congress who were ejected from their positions by an executive order of President Aquino removing non-career appointees of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from government. Lim said he met with Cebu tourism players and presented to them projects that are still on the drawing board, among them heavy investments on infrastructure like airports. Aquino administration officials questioned the legitimacy of the Tourism Congress, created by the Tourism Act of 2009, and 13 people nominated to its board were removed by Lim. “First of all, I have a picture showing that they met with me on July 15. And number two, we were all smiling in the picture,” he said in a phone interview from London where Lim is attending a tourism forum. In Cebu, Lim continued to draw flak for a statement attributed to him supposedly saying that backpackers are the least desired types of tourists in the Philippines. Robert Joseph, chairman of Naitas, said in a Cebu forum that Lim’s refusal to recognize the Tourism Congress has angered many tour operators. Phineas Alburo, former tourism undersecretary, said the Tourism Congress brings together tourism establishments and former government officials to act as advisory and consultative body on tourism programs. A case is pending against the Tourism Act’s implementing rules and regulations, which created the Tourism Congress, in a Manila court that froze all transactions of the congress. “There is no business activity,” said Alburo. During his visit to Cebu on Wednesday, however, President Aquino said his administration was doing all it could to help improve tourism in the Philippines. Among the projects that the President mentioned during the opening of a new hotel here was the launching of a website to make it easy for tourists wanting to visit to arrange accommodation and traveldetails. Another project, Aquino said, was the launching of a new logo. “They would have to watch the results,” Aquino said, addressing this to tour operators criticizing Lim. The President said tourism department officials were working doubly hard despite lack of funds. When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. —Chris Evert Lato, Inquirer Visayas; and Jocelyn Uy in Manila |
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Cebu tour operators hit DOT moves
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