Portal to push tourism

(Published in Dec. 1, 2009 issue of Sun.Star Cebu)

Sun.Star Cebu <> Monday, Dec. 1, 2009

BY Nancy R. Cudis, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

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TO GET more Cebu companies to advertise their businesses on the Internet, an online classified service portal will intensify its efforts to promote Cebu as a major tourist destination.

Starting this month, 88DB.com will showcase an improved online page about Cebu, featuring the 4,000 advertisers coming from the province.

These businesses that advertised through 88DB.com’s free media portal are composed of large companies, small and medium enterprises, and home-based businesses.

These include hotels, resorts, business services firms, wedding industry players, restaurants, real estate companies, and schools, among others.

Growing

“We want to grow the present number of Cebu advertisers we have to 20,000 toward the end of 2010. We believe Cebu is growing, so we have to be here,” 88DB.com general manager Racquel Cagurangan told Sun.Star Cebu.

“We aim to enlist more tourism-related establishments, entrepreneurs and freelancers in the site and help them advertise their products and services both to the local and foreign tourists,” she added.

88DB.com, launched in the Philippines last August 2006, has more than 200,000 members, over two million page views monthly, and more than 26,000 site visits daily, she said.

According to its website, 88DB is the newest service developed by JobsDB.com, a jobsite in Asia Pacific.

“88DB extends JobsDB’s service to a new level by creating a classified site for organizations, companies, individuals, clubs, societies and associations to promote and hire services of various kinds,” the website said.

Bloggers

To signal its commitment to promote Cebu as one of the country’s premier hubs, 88DB.com inked last week a partnership with the Cebu Bloggers Society (CBS), a non-profit network of more than 60 bloggers.

CBS also sealed a partnership with JobsDB Philippines Inc., the Philippine arm of the career portal in Asia with offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia, among others.

“The Cebu workforce has consistently attracted the attention of employers because of their work ethic, resourcefulness and passion for excellence. JobsDB’s page on Cebu that touched on its industries and human resources was created a year ago to support Cebu’s growth. Our new partnership with CBS, which will increase awareness of job opportunities for Cebuanos, builds on that strategy,” said JobsDB Philippines marketing manager Jane Christine Soco.

Career page

Through the partnership, JobsDB will create a career page for the CBS website, linking it to more than 6,000 jobs that appear on the JobsDB Home Page every day. CBS members will be the first to spot new job openings as soon as they are uploaded; they will discuss them in their posts and spread the word to interested parties.

Soco said they expect more job openings next year, as companies are now starting to recover from the effects of the global financial crisis.

Going up

In the middle of this year, JobsDB Philippines noted a decline in the number of jobs posted. But the numbers have been going up again in the last quarter of this year.

The number of resumes submitted has also increased, said Soco.

JobsDB is now planning to reach out to more students and job seekers, and to provide a facelift to its website. It also intends to provide value-added services like announcements of job opening through mobile phones.

Filed under: Business, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Retail, Small and Medium Enterprises, Tourism, 88DB, 88DB.com, Cebu Bloggers Society, JobsDB

DOT develops programs to lure Indians travelers

Sun.Star Cebu <> Friday, July 10, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) wants more Indian travelers to come to the Philippines for leisure and entertainment.

India, with a population of more than one billion and a growing middle class, is considered an emerging tourist market for the country. As of now, most Indians who travel do so for business.

The DOT believes the Philippines can offer more “variety” to the Indians—most of whom are seasoned
travelers—compared to other countries in Asia. The tourism department pointed out that the Philippines has several destinations for shopping, island-hopping and culinary activities, among others.

Glen Agustin, DOT team head for India, told reporters during the recent Philippine International Tourism Fair in Cebu that the tourism department wants to attract more Indians and their families to come and spend on recreational activities in the Philippines.

The DOT eyes Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) participants who want to get involve in leisure activities during and after their business agenda, he said.

However, Anoop Ka-nuga of India-based tour operator Bathija Travels Pvt. Ltd. lamented the lack of direct flights between India and the Philippines.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said the DOT’s efforts to convince Philippines Airlines (PAL) to fly to India is “getting there.” The DOT is hoping that the flag carrier will use one of its new aircraft that will be delivered in the third quarter of this year to serve India.

He said PAL assigned a general service agent in India last year. He described this as a “good step” in getting additional direct flights between the two countries this year.

Agustin advised tourism establishments targeting the Indian market to work with tour operators and be included in tour packages as the Indians have dietary requirements and want to be regularly updated on new products.

He also suggested to Philippine tour operators to find counterparts in India.

The DOT has lined up a series of media promotions that have been “effective” in drawing in more Indians to the Philippines.

The DOT notes that Indians travelers stay for an average of seven days, spending time in Manila before going to other tourist destinations in the country like Cebu, Bohol and Boracay.

Filed under: Business, Tourism

Road map for ESL industry

Sun.Star Cebu <> Thursday, July 9, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

IN a bid to make Cebu an international hub for English language learning, private and public stakeholders will develop and implement a “road map” to bolster the interest of potential international students to learn English in Cebu.

The road map, which is part of the Cebu Hub of English Language Excellence Project, will bring together individuals and key people from the Provincial Government, local government units, the academe and government agencies like the Department of Tourism and Department of Education. In a meeting next month, they will identify Cebu’s strengths and discuss issues hounding the English learning and teaching sector.

“There is a (global) shift now; more and more international students (turn) to speakers of English as a second language, like the Filipinos, for English training (instead of hiring) Americans, Canadians, and other nationalities who primarily speak English,” said Paul Robertson, Asian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Journal chief executive officer.

One factor for this shift, he said, is the huge influx of Korean tourists in the Philippines. He added that these tourists come to the country to immerse in “long and intense” training on English.

But he observed that the Philippines, particularly Cebu, is not yet ready for the “sudden, massive” demand for Filipino ESL (English as a second language) or Tesol (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) teachers due to the lack of organization and regulation in the industry, as well as the shortage of affordable teachers’ training courses in ESL or Tesol.

Best practices

“If we don’t start the project now, other countries will do it, like India and China,” warned Robertson.

The road mapping for the project will consider the best practices of the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedf-it) in organizing the IT players in Cebu sd Cebu positions itself to be an IT hub.

Once Cebu has established itself as a global hub for English learning, Robertson said it would be easy for local stakeholders to get more international students from the Middle East, Japan, China, and Taiwan.

“Cebu should not concentrate its English learning and teaching facilities on Korean students but also on other nationalities, especially the Chinese,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.

Robertson said he will propose during the meeting with local stakeholders the possibility of attracting more foreign investors to consider Cebu as a potential area for ESL schools that can be operated by local staff and teachers.

“They can even make their schools exclusive for the people of their countries. With more investors putting up more schools for ESL, more schools would also be specializing in specific areas such as business English and tourism English to attract students,” Robertson said.

Several potential investors, he said, are coming to Cebu on Aug. 8 to attend the Cebu International Tesol Conference at Diplomat Hotel, Cebu City.

About 300 persons, including English teachers and educators-to-be, are expected to attend the conference that is organized by the Tesol Philippines, Asian EFL Group, and Time Taylor International Ltd.

Asian EFL Journal is an academic second language acquisition research journal and business entity under Time Taylor, an Australian company registered in Korea.

Filed under: Business, Education, Employment, Tourism

DOT eyes Israeli tourists

Sun.Star Cebu <> Wednesday, July 1, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

APART from searching for new and emerging tourist markets, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is reviving links with countries whose residents used to frequent the Philippine’s tourist destinations.

Besides the Middle East, the DOT has also set its sights on Israel where many residents are fond of sports and adventure activities.

This year, the DOT hopes to see a 40-percent growth in visitor arrivals from Israel. The agency is also hoping that Israel will become the Philippines’ top tourist markets next year.

“According to them (Israelis), they kept coming to the Philippines 10 years ago. As the years went by, their arrival figures declined. We don’t know why,” said Tourism Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions Eduardo Jarque Jr.

But he said the country needs to implement marketing and promotional programs in Israel to persuade more Israelis to visit adventure and eco-tourism destinations in the Philippines.

More traffic

In a visit to Cebu in May last year, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Zvi Aviner Vapni said the two countries have the capabilities to increase tourist traffic both ways, but lack the awareness of each other’s potentials.

Currently, the Philippines is competing with Thailand and Malaysia, which are also offering adventure and eco-tourism packages to attract more Israeli travelers.

“(At present) Israel’s numbers (in terms of arrivals to the Philippines) are not great; we are not talking of the same numbers as China and India. But the quality of travelers is there. Israelis are good spenders and we have the potential to provide them with value-for-money adventure packages,” said Jarque.

He added that DOT expects an increase in Israeli tourists after the airing of hit reality show “Survivor”—which featured Caramoan, Camarines Sur—in Israel in October this year.

Jarque said Israeli travelers would come in groups and would likely spend about a week in a tourist destination. DOT is also eyeing Israelis who want to go on vacation after their mandatory military service training.

Jarque said the DOT is in talks with 12 tour operators based in Israel to develop new products for the Israeli tourism market. The DOT is organizing a familiarization tour for the tour operators this year.

The DOT is also coordinating with Philippine Ambassador to Israel Petronila Garcia to make the trip of Israeli tourists to the Philippines more efficient.

Jarque accompanied Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano during the unveiling of the Open Doors monument at the Rishon Lezion Memorial Park in Israel last June 21. The historical landmark recognizes the Philippines for its support to the European Jews who sought refuge from the Holocaust in the 1930s.

Filed under: Business, Tourism

DOT expects more tourists with help of airlines, hotels

Sun.Star Cebu <> Tuesday, June 30, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

INTERNATIONAL support, business exchange and packages are crucial to the success of the country’s new tourism products in the next two years, said Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano.

In a speech during the opening of the Travel Market Exchange (Tramex) at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu last week, Durano said there will be 6,000 new hotel rooms across the
country, especially in top tourist destinations, in the next two years.

In the same period, new local destinations will be promoted as airline companies increase their “paradise-to-paradise connectivity.” New tourism packages will also be showcased, highlighting the country’s adventure and eco-tourism front, he said.

In an interview with reporters, Durano said there will be about 1,400 new hotel rooms in Cebu this year, 2,000 in 2009, and another 2,000 in 2010.

He said that these would be the results of tourism investments, both local- and foreign-owned, that came in the country between 2005 and 2007.

“It would take three years (from groundbreaking) for an investment to be completed,” Durano said.

He cited the P4.5-billion Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City, which is expected to be fully opened in September and the Radisson Hotel of the SM Investment Corp. that is projected to open in the last quarter of this year.

“These developments indicate a lot of confidence in the country, not just (in terms of) tourism traffic but also in tourism investments,” he said.

The DOT is hoping for big tourism-related investments this year, although Durano observed that the global financial crisis has affected major financial institutions.

With the “temporary” challenges hounding the tourism sector, he urged local stakeholders not to lose focus on existing opportunities with immediate and long-term benefits for the industry.

He said that these challenges—which include the global financial crisis and the influenza A(H1N1) virus—are “mere veils” that require players to “have a sharp and perceptive vision.”

He added that the participation of 51 international buyers and more than 100 sellers in last week’s Tramex show there is continued confidence in Philippine tourism.

Tramex, organized by the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp. and the DOT, is a business component of the Philippines International Tourism Fair, which is a venue for business negotiations between foreign buyers and local sellers. Buyers at the fair came from China, India, Russia, Middle East, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and North America, among others.

Filed under: Business, Tourism

‘Crisis a bigger challenge’

Sun.Star Cebu <> Saturday, June 27, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

BETWEEN the influenza A(H1N1) virus and the global financial crisis, Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” considers the economic crunch as the bigger challenge for the country’s tourism industry.

He said reaction toward the virus is a “psychological scare” that is “natural.”

“I am confident that in a few months-just like in the US, Mexico and Australia where the virus started—the A(H1N1) will be treated like any other flu such that we would stop counting (the cases). We are counting now because it is new. But we could see that virus cases in the country is milder than those in the US, Mexico and Australia,” he said at the sidelines of the yesterday’s opening of the Travel Exchange Market at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu.

He recalled the panic over the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which mainly affected Hong Kong and China in 2003. He attributed the panic to lack of information regarding the illness.

The spread of the influenza A(H1N1) virus, one the other hand, also happened in one of Philippine’s top tourist market, the US, where the government “calmly” handled the pandemic, Durano said.

Not new

“Since the people there understand what this virus is and how mild it is and that it could be treated, for me, this would not be a new consideration for them whether they would come to the Philippines or not,” he added.

“The important thing for DOT (Department of Tourism) right now is that we do not react (rashly). Instead, we should ensure that travelers understand that A(H1N1) virus cases in the country are mild and most have recovered already,” he said.

However, Marriott Hotel Cebu City general manager Roy Abraham said the virus has discouraged some travelers who did not want to go through checks at airports.

“If you travel with a little fever that it is not even caused by the virus you would be made to go through quarantine, so many would rather stay home,” he said in a separate interview yesterday.

He noted that the travel market was starting to pick up with the virus came up.

But he said Marriott, unlike resorts whose market are leisure travelers, is not heavily affected by the global financial crisis.

Doing well

“We in the city are actually doing pretty well. (Marriott’s) market are business travelers and they have to travel,” he said.

In a separate interview during the opening of the Philippine International Tourism Fair on Thursday, Tourism Undersecretary Phineas Alburo urged people not to overreact to the pandemic and to refrain from wearing surgical masks in public unless prescribed by a doctor.

“Tourism is also about image. If people here are wearing masks and their images will be caught on tape to be shown on national and international TV, (that) could make potential travelers uneasy about coming here,” he said.

Plantation Bay Resort general manager Efren Belarmino observed that the reported cases of influenza A (H1N1) virus coincided with the lean season for hotels and resorts, which is June to September.

“It is important to use every opportunity to show that influenza A(H1N1) virus is not be an obstacle for existing and emerging markets to travel here,” said Marco Polo Plaza Cebu general manager Hans Hauri.

While the global financial crisis has affected tradition tourist markets like the US, Durano said domestic travelers have contributed significantly to the country’s tourism industry.

He observed an 18-percent growth rate in domestic tourists during the first quarter this year.

“First quarter (figures) are usually low. But this first quarter’s four percent growth rate is the best we have in the past four years. We managed to grow even when many were expecting negative (performance),” he said.

Marriott’s Abraham said the hotel, a property of the Ayala group, has a 55 to 60 percent occupancy rate, “which is not bad considering the times.”

He said 60 percent of Marriott Cebu’s guests are from within the Philippines, followed by the Americans then the Japanese. The hotel, located within the Cebu Business Park, also gets many balikbayans.

“The market was already starting to rebound then the flu came in,” said Abraham. He expects to see the “full effect” of the market recovery in the middle of next year. (with LAP)

Filed under: Business, Tourism

DOT boosts program to attract Middle Eastern travel markets

Sun.Star Cebu <> Friday, June 26, 2009

BY NANCY R. CUDIS, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

TO cope with the global financial crisis, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has intensified efforts to bring in more expatriates and their families from the Middle East this year.

The DOT is eyeing the travel market in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

At the same time, it plans to continue efforts to penetrate other new tourist markets, including Russia, China and India.

“The Middle East has been identified as an important market for the Philippines. The growth rate of arrivals coming from the Middle East has been encouraging,” said Benito Bengzon Jr., director of DOT’s Office of Tourism Coordination.

At the sidelines of the Third Philippine International Travel Fair (PITF) at the Marco Polo Cebu yesterday, Bengzon told reporters that the number of visitor arrivals from the UAE grew 32 percent in 2008 over 2007 figures.

“The Middle East market is here for shopping and the resorts. They shop various Philippine products, from apparel to handicrafts,” he said.

Godfrey Lim Dungal Jr., general manager of Dubai-based travel agency Seat Holidays Dubai, confirmed this. He said that this new tourist market prefers leisure, relaxation and night life.

Big spenders

He said tourists from UAE would stay in the country for an average of seven days and are good spenders, especially when they come with their families.

“The Arabians love to go to Far East countries like Malaysia and Thailand. The Philippines is a new destination for them,” he said.

Dingal is among the three tourism buyers from the Middle East who attended the annual PITF, which is participated in by more than 50 international buyers and more than 100 sellers.

In the Philippines, Dingal said that most Middle Eastern travelers could be found in Manila, Cebu, Bohol and Palawan.

Marco Polo Plaza Cebu general manager Hans Hauri observed, though, that Manila is currently in a good position to attract more Middle Eastern travelers due to the presence of many direct linkages.

He said that while the Philippines is slowly gaining ground in attracting the Middle East, he noted that it would take time for a new market to be developed.

Efren Belarmino, general manager of Plantation Bay Resort Cebu, said the resort is also eyeing the Middle East travel market while looking at regional travelers.

Bengzon raised the need to invite more travel agents, media practitioners and decision makers from this new market to come to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Dingal urged local tourism stakeholders to organize more proper itineraries and attractive packages involving city tours and outdoor excursions.

Jenny Franco, chairman of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies-Cebu Chapter, said tour operators are also developing and introducing new packages.

She cited sample packages that include an enhanced city tour, as well as sports and adventure activities in the countryside, targeted at both foreign and local tOurists.

“We also want to provide packages that would allow tourists to interact with local people and introduce them to Filipino cuisine,” Franco said.

Filed under: Business, Tourism