RP tourism bears brunt of Manila hostage-taking

The country's tourism sector has started to feel the effects of last Monday's deadly hostage-taking at the very center of Manila, with local airlines and hotels reporting a wave of flight and booking cancellations just days after the tragedy. More than 500 tourists from Hong Kong and mainland China have canceled their reservations with Philippine Airlines (PAL), the company said in a statement issued on Thursday. "At least 558 Manila-bound bookings were canceled," said a statement, quoting PAL president Jaime J. Bautista. Bookings were made by tourists from Hong Kong, Beijing, Xiamen and other points in China, the statement added. These flight cancellations were reported four days after eight Hong Kong tourists were killed in a messy end to an 11-hour hostage-taking crisis in front of the Quirino grandstand, which was widely blamed on mishandling by the authorities undertaking negotiations with the hostage taker. These cancellations confirmed a GMANews.TV report on Wednesday which indicated that two groups of at least 20 Hong Kong residents have already canceled their PAL flights scheduled for September and October. "PAL is beginning to feel the initial impact of a Hong Kong government advisory warning its residents to refrain from all travel to the Philippines," the company said. In the Philippines, two Hong Kong and Macau-bound Filipino tourists opted to change their destination in view of the current situation. Despite the negative travel advisory, PAL continues to mount five daily flights to and from the former Crown Colony. "We're closely monitoring the situation and will decide soon whether we will maintain or reduce flights. We share the grief and understand the Hong Kong people's wrath. We are optimistic that fears of traveling to the Philippines will be temporary," Bautista said. PAL has yet to determine the financial impact of the booking cancellations at this early stage, he said. Negative travel advisories to the Philippines are not helping the flag carrier which is currently struggling financially and grappling with restive workers. "We understand that Philippine officials in Hong Kong met with the latter’s legislative and travel councils and assured them that the Philippines is still a safe and viable tourist destination. We are looking forward that it will soon lead to the lifting of the travel restrictions," he added. Meanwhile, Bautista said PAL, as the national flag carrier, will continue with its sworn mission to promote the Philippines as a tourist destination. "More than ever, we need to help our government in showcasing the Philippines' best," he said. For its part, budget carrier Cebu Pacific said several of its passengers from Hong Kong have also asked to have their flights either rebooked or canceled. "As of August 26, 2010, we have received rebooking and cancel requests from less than 2 percent of the total number of passengers for the airline’s Hong Kong routes," the company said in a statement. Meanwhile, the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) said eight hotels and seven resorts have reported requests for cancellations by tourists from Hong Kong and other parts of China. This amounts to about 300 rooms in popular tourist destinations like Bohol, Palawan, Boracay, Cebu, and Manila, the PTAA said.—Robert JA Basilio Jr./JE, GMANews.TV