Affiliates
Contact Us
Century International Hotels
TravelSmart.NET

PHILIPPINES
HONG KONG
CANADA
EUROPE
USA
INDONESIA
SINGAPORE
THAILAND


THE WEBSITE
Philippines

Travel agencies & domestic tourism now enjoying unprecedented boom
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: Bobby Lim Joseph, Jr.
Date: 2003-05-18
 
It’s summertime again, and with the breakout of SARS in the Asia Pacific region, which is worse than the suffering of the Iraqis in the last war and misery of the Sept.







11 terrorist attacks in New York, most vacationers are now wary of traveling overseas for their vacation. And because of the high fatalities of SARS, as reported by the World Health Organization, Filipinos and foreigners alike now prefer to visit the islands. Airlines and shipping lines have mounted additional services particularly during the peak season to meet strong demand.



Travel agencies engaged in domestic tourism are thus enjoying an unprecedented boom which has also increase the clientele in the Philippines’ tourist spots. One of which is the ever popular white sand and clear waters of Boracay.





The number one domestic destination in the country today is Boracay, patronized not only by Filipinos but also by foreigners. For individuals who would want to revel in the sandy shores of Boracay, there are two choices: either take the plane or take the ship.





Before the Holy Week, I went with a group of travel agents and staff to Boracay on board M/V Florida that accommodates 400 passengers on a 12-hour cruise to find out for ourselves if we could promote this service.





In a nutshell these were the highlights of the trip:





a. The ticket purchased mentioned a 4 p.m. departure but the ship left at 6:35 p.m.





b. There was no drill on safety since nobody cared.





c. Signaged for the emergency exits has inadequate to say the least.





Again, nobody bothered.





d. Room keys were not given immediately to the guests; one still had to literally hound the crew just to get hold of the key.





e. Before a guest can go to a small lounge that can accommodate around 30 passengers, one still has to go through the bunk beds or sleeping quarters – disturbing the passengers getting their rest.





f . Passengers in the bunk beds had to cover their faces with towels in order to get some sleep since the crew did not allow the lights to be turned off even in the middle of the night.





g. There were no waiters on board so one had to get food in the counter. Imagine 400 people buying food and drinks in a small counter all at the same time.





h. Some passengers were cooking on the deck, and when we asked why not in the kitchen, they responded that it was too far below. To think that beside it was the television, the karaoke system, and “disc jockey”, and around 20 dilapidated chairs.





i. The music was played so loud, disturbing passengers in the bunk beds from resting.





j. Since there were not enough facilities for eating, one is advised to eat on the bunk bed. Food served in Styrofoam containers with only two meals to choose from. Chicken pork adobo or chicken curry at R50.00 a meal. Nothing more.





k. We had a VIP room that could accommodate 6 guests. There were no blankets for passengers, just a flimsy material which is usually used as bed cover. The central air-conditioning was freezing; thank God I brought a jacket. But my team had to wear two or three layers of clothes to keep warm.





l. All toilets are common and inadequate. Toilets in gas stations are comparatively heavenly, Theirs is literally a dump!!! The only saving grace was they had toilet papers.





m. We arrived in Boracay at 9:30 a.m. In the morning, neither food nor coffee could be served. According to their executive, the cook was overworked and therefore had to rest. Only later did I found out that he was drinking all night.





n. The ship used to ferry passengers from Hong Kong to Macau and was later retired. To think that a junk is being used to promote domestic tourism. Oh my God.





The trip was a total nightmare. It was an adventure trip with a lot of prayers in hopes of arriving safely. One comes to realize that you have to rely on the Lord for comfort too.





Upon arrival in Boracay, we thanked the Lord for protecting us. We immediately went to the Seair office to purchase tickets back to Manila.





We contacted Tourism Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab to look into the incident. We then called the spokesman of the Secretary of Transportation Gen. Tom Lantion who promised to immediately check the matter with MARINA and the Coast Guard.





 

Indonesia Thailand USA Europe Canada Hong Kong Philippines