TCP to DoTr, DoT: Focus on building major gateways

The President of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) is urging the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to work hand-in-hand, diligently, with the Department of Tourism (DoT) to resolve the perennial problem of poor connectivity and infrastructure, which the official thinks is hindering the Philippines' aim to attract more foreign guests.

“The problem with the Philippines is…tourism is not about how beautiful your country is. It’s about how to get to your destination. That’s always been the misconception. And I hope that one day, our government will take it seriously,” said Alan James Montenegro, president of the TCP, also the country manager of Chroma Hospitality Group of the Filinvest Development Corporation.

As part of Republic Act 9593, the TCP was established to give the private sector a role in the crafting of tourism policy in partnership with the DoT and its attached agencies.

Inter-country wandering expensive

Further, he said the Philippines does not need many airports, but just four main gateways that would accept international flights from neighboring countries in the ASEAN, as far as America and Europe.

“Davao and Cebu Mactan International Airports can be the gateway for Siargao. It’s a short hop by the propeller plane rather than flying from Manila and paying P21,000,” he suggested.

“If you go to Siargao and Cebu, half of the tourists there are Europeans, more than in Manila. The only people who come to Manila don’t fly on the Middle Eastern route. They probably fly either from Hong Kong or Thailand. Then for Cebu, they go to Moalboal, to Dumaguete, then to Siquijor, back to Cebu, and Cebu to Siargao. If you make it easier for our tourists to go around, and make Davao an official gateway rather than building international airports everywhere, which is very costly and does not have enough demand,” he stressed.

He said international tourists are spending a lot of money on visiting the Philippines’ astounding destinations, which is negatively impacting the country’s image, even though the DoT is spending millions of dollars on selling the country to the world, which, according to him, “cannot move the needle.”

“If you fly from Europe to the Philippines, it’s at least $2,000 to $2,500. If you come from North America, it's $2,500. Now, they (tourists) have to pay another ticket to go to Siargao. From Cebu, it’s P15,000, then they will pay for accommodations. Then they have to fly back to Cebu if they want to go down to Dumaguete, if they don’t want to take the bus and travel for 6 hours, which is another $200. It all adds up, and visitors are spending so much money if they want to go to Boracay. Indeed, the inter-country flight is very expensive,” he insisted.

Montenegro’s analysis complements the statement of Secretary Frasco in January, stating that in 2024, a comparative survey of tourism spending per capita within the ASEAN, conducted by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), showed that international tourists coming into the country spend at least $2,073 per capita.

Frasco said that compared to the average of nine nights in 2019, tourists are now staying an average of over 11 nights in the country.