DOT hopes travel setback will pass

Flowers, prayers, lighted candles and burned incense were offered by the regional office of the Department of Tourism in Western Visayas as its way of showing sympathy to the families of those killed in the hostage-taking incident in Manila Monday, a government press release said.
DOT regional director Edwin Trompeta said they would like to project to the whole world that they abhor what happened and fervently hope for its fast resolution.
“That was something we have never desired and never wished to happened. Not only because they are tourists but they are human beings and anybody who is subjected to such an indignity is something that we do not tolerate. We would like the world to know that here we sympathize with them,” Trompeta said.
Meantime, as a result of travel advisories by the Hong Kong government, the DOT has monitored cancellation of bookings in Boracay Island which, to date, has amounted to P7.439 million in lost revenues.
The cancellation, Trompeta said, was only on hotel bookings, not counting other spending tourists would have done in the island which may amount to some P20,000 to P30,000.
The bookings were for Aug. 28 to Sept. 6 for 351 individuals.
Trompeta said he hopes the situation will just be temporary but noted that the continued travel advisory will have a great impact because China and Hong Kong comprise some five to 10 percent of the tourist arrivals in Boracay.
From January to June this year, Trompeta said about 5,000 tourists from Hong Kong and 20,000 from mainland China have visited Boracay.
The offerings were held in front of the DOT office. Trompeta also said he welcomes those who may want to drop by and offer sympathies, the press release said.