The arrival of tourism investments

WHAT was once considered as a perennial problem on availability accommodations is expected to ease as tourism investments have started coming to the Philippines.In his speech during his recent visit to Beijing, Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said the Department of Tourism approved an unprecedented US$2- billion worth of investments last year and another US$200 million for the first quarter of 2007 alone.“Local real estate developers in cooperation with foreign partners have also invested in new hotel and resort facilities. There will be 3,000 additional hotel rooms available this year in Cebu, Bohol, Boracay and Palawan, and Metro Manila. Of these, 1,000 will be in Cebu and the rest will be spread over the three other areas,” he said.Boracay Shangri-la Hotel and Resort is scheduled for soft-opening by yearend. The Imperial Waterpark Resort and Spa in Mactan, Cebu, a 616-room triple A class resort, is slated for a 2009 opening.Hotel brands coming into Manila are Carlson Hotels, Asia Pacific, Accor, Marriott, Fairmont and Raffles. Meanwhile, industry stakeholders have expressed optimism that the opening in November of SMX, a new convention centre located in Manila’s SM Bay City, will revive international interest in Manila as a convention and exhibitions destination.Central Philippines is being developed as a “super tourism region”. Durano said, “To increase travel movements to the other destinations, we are developing access infrastructure to accelerate development and ensure seamless travel within the archipelago. Most of these infrastructure projects will be developed in an area called the Central Philippines Super Region.“Central Philippines is designated as the super tourism region in view of its forest reserves, beaches, coastal and marine resources, historical landmarks, and cultural festivities. It also accounts for eight out of the 10 most visited beaches in the country, namely: Cebu, Boracay, Bohol, Oriental Negros, Bicol, Samar, Palawan and Mindoro where $2.10 billion of total public investments will be poured in.Even before these tourism infrastructure projects start delivering, Philippine tourism is already moving towards the right direction. Durano cited that from 2004 to 2006, visitor arrivals grew at an average of 14 percent per annum. In 2006, the country drew 2.84 million visitors, translating in an 8.4-percent growth over the previous year and the “highest” in DoT history.