European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) president Guenter Taus said after returning to Manila from his recent tourism mission in Europe, “It was a very tough sell because of the closure of Boracay. It was very untimely. It was hard to sell the Philippines as a tourism destination.”
Philippine tourism will take a hit in Europe because of the closure of Boracay island, a popular stop for European tourists.
European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) president Guenter Taus said after returning to Manila from his recent tourism mission in Europe, “It was a very tough sell because of the closure of Boracay. It was very untimely. It was hard to sell the Philippines as a tourism destination.”
Taus said some European tour operators are shying away from the Philippines after difficulties in getting refunds for cancelled bookings to Boracay.
He said European tour operators also expressed apprehension that a similar incident might happen after Manila announced that it would inspect other tourist destinations like Panglao island in Bohol, and Coron in Northern Palawan.
Boracay’s closure wiped out “half of what you would normally expect” in terms of the number of European visitors, Taus said.
Many of these tourists selected more popular destinations in other Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, he noted.
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Boracay island to be shut down for six months for rehabilitation work after he called the popular destination a “cesspool”.
Despite the setback, Taus said he expects European arrivals to recover as the ECCP starts to promote emerging tourist destinations in the Philippines - a strategy that he said was “positively” received by European tour operators.
“I’m sure it will bounce back the moment we shift gear and look at other opportunities,” he said.