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Philippines

Extended holidays boost prov’l tourism
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: By Jaser A. Marasigan
Date: 2005-04-21
 
The Department of Tourism (DoT) reported a boost in domestic tourism during the Holy Week extended holidays. According to DoT Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, “Both accommodation and transport facilities in selected tourist destinations have reported an increase in their average occupancy rates, with some even reaching 100 percent.”



DoT’s regional offices reported Cebu and Boracay as the top destination choices of local and foreign tourists during this period.



Cebu had the biggest number of registered foreign tourists, with 4,519 overseas guests booked in six major hotels and nine resorts. Majority of the tourists opted to stay in Shangri-La Mactan Hotel and Plantation Bay, which both had 100 percent bookings. Shangri-La Mactan had 1,265, while Plantation Bay had 433 foreign guests.



Among the resorts, Maribago Bluewater Resort was the top pick and was 98 percent occupied, with 537 foreign guests.



Several DoT-accredited resorts in Boracay – including Nirvana, Friday’s, Boracay Regency, GPs, and Red Coconut – registered 100 percent average occupancy rates during the long weekend. Some 1,546 foreign tourists and 3,060 local visitors packed the island’s various establishments.



Tourists also flocked to the beaches of Puerto Galera and Northern Palawan.



In Puerto Galera, resorts with diverse water-based activities were the most popular and had 100 percent average occupancy rates. Resorts in Northern Palawan registered an occupancy rate of 85 percent and foreign visitors accounted for some 25 percent of the total number of guests.



Other destinations that posted high average occupancy rates during the recent long weekend were Legazpi City in Bicol, with 94.25 percent, and Davao, with 82.71 percent. In Leyte, the average occupancy rates of several hotels and resorts grew by 34.36 percent on an annual basis.



DoT reports also revealed that among the important factors which led to the high occupancy rates of these resorts were their accessibility, the short average travel time involved, and low transport costs.



Meanwhile, Durano acknowledged the government’s decision to adopt a four-day work week as beneficial for the country’s tourism industry as it would help promote domestic tourism, spur economic activities in the countryside, and save on energy.



"The scheme augurs well with President Arroyo’s holiday economics, which yielded positive results in the tourism industry," he said.
 

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