PAL labor row takes its toll on Mindanao tourism – report

Mindanao is suffering from a drop in tourism and its related business, which officials traced to the ongoing labor dispute at flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL). In a report issued by the Tourism Congress over the weekend during a regional consultation with member associations in General Santos City in South Cotabato, the group noted a 30-percent loss in booked business and 50- to 70-percent drop in hotel occupancy. “This was due to the cancelled hotel bookings for conferences, banquets, and other functions of out-of-town groups and entities that had been previously confirmed," Tourism Congress vice president Jaime Cura said the report, which was released Tuesday to the media. “The local chamber of commerce also revealed that, for the tuna industry alone, reported losses are to the tune of around P50 million a day, the corresponding revenue value of a daily shipment stock of about 20-26 tons of tuna that did not reach its designated buyers because of cancelled flights," according to the report. The report was a compilation of accounts given by hotels and resorts operators, travel and tour agencies, transport groups, events organizers, and other tourism-related enterprises, Cura said. Pre-planned arrangements PAL vice president Bong Cruz, who was at the regional consultation, issued an apology on behalf of the airline and explained to the stakeholders how the labor dispute with the PAL Employees Association evolved and the steps PAL is now taking to stabilize the situation as soon as possible. PAL outsourced its non-core businesses including catering services, online ticketing and ground operations — a spin-off that started on Oct. 1. The dialogue with regional stakeholders validated and affirmed the need for pre-planned cooperative arrangements among the various industry sectors and enterprises ahead of emergencies, and those contingencies to implement to keep the industry from losing so much business in times of crisis, according to the Tourism Congress. “One of the immediate actions that can be implemented to mitigate the negative effects of crisis situations affecting tourism is for the concerned sectors to promptly issue a situationer which the Tourism Congress can speedily circulate to the rest of its stakeholders," said Cura. — VS, GMA News