Tourism and the Christmas season

AMIDST the bewildering events that have occurred worldwide recently, at least one feeling continues to prevail in most of us to uplift our spirit. This is the joy ushered in by the onset of the Christmas season.

Expected to rise is the number of arrivals from abroad, notably our balikbayan countrymen, whose heart and soul remains in our beloved Philippines. The 7.2 million Filipinos abroad are more than enough to boost our tourism industry, given the necessary packages attractive enough to entice them to come home and stay for several weeks. They themselves constitute a huge market for our tourism industry to capitalize on.

Instead of relying on foreign tourists, our tourism authorities and industry players should cultivate among our Filipino expatriates the urge to visit and rediscover the land of their birth. In turn, they can be encouraged to serve as ambassadors of goodwill among their foreign friends to entice the latter to come and visit the Philippines with them.

Promoting tour packages - group, family, individual - coupled with a number of incentives (such as discounts on fares, and hotel accommodations) will be timely this Christmas season. Complementing these attractive packages with steps taken to make sure that our visitors' stay will be memorable and will certainly foster in them the desire to return to our country again and again.

Our domestic tourism's "Rediscovery Philippines" program, if sustained, will make it the backbone of our tourism industry. Tourism means jobs, income - for our people and for our national coffers.

We have so many occasions that can serve as reasons for people here and abroad to travel all over the Philippines. Fiestas and foundation days are important occasions that can be exploited by our tourism authorities.

In many ways, the Christmas season means the Tourism Season.