RP political tensions give int’l tourists wrong signal

Philippine Tourism Authority general manager and chief executive officer Robert Dean Barbers said that the current political tensions created from the jueteng controversy and the wire tapping issue have started to adversely affect the country’s tourism industry.

According to Barbers, a lot of foreign tourists are calling up his office and asking if it is safe to travel in the country.

"Substantial achievements in our tourism industry because of our serious efforts to promote the country in neighboring ASEAN nations and in Japan, China, US and some European countries will go to waste as international tourists start to shy away from the Philippines if these political tensions go unabated," Barbers explained

Moreover, the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS) chairman Robert Joseph informed Barbers about the uncertainties of some foreign travelers to visit the country in the light of this perceived political turmoil sweeping the country.

Reports in the business sector likewise heralded that as the Arroyo administration is pushed from one political controversy to another, foreign investors are becoming reluctant to put in the much-needed financial boost to the country’s economy despite the initial positive reactions to the passage into law of value-added tax measures.

Barbers added that a PTA delegation is currently visiting Japan cities of Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo to participate in the Philippine Business Mission (PBM) on trade and investment in the Philippines that includes tourism.

"The PTA has sent a delegation in Japan to invite Japanese investors to invest in some PTA properties either by leasing them or co-managing them with the PTA,’’ Barbers said.