Making PH the ‘must experience destination in Asia’: Going back to basics

(This was the last article written by the late Manuel “Mano” A. Alcuaz Jr. for this column of the Management Association of the Philippines).

I am sure that expensive consultants and businessmen can come up with lots of expensive projects to make the Philippines the “must experience destination in Asia.”

Some people want to move our Metro Manila international airports to Clark. After spending billions to implement this, tourists and business travelers may be treated for a short time with the comforts of a brand-new airport—then lose time (and money to pay) for the long ride from Metro Manila to Clark and back to Metro Manila using the giant parking highway called Edsa.

Why do we want to emulate Tokyo, instead of Los Angeles and San Francisco that have conveniently located airports?

Let me get down to business. If we want to attain our vision, we have to be focused on what the tourists and travelers want—not on what is convenient for us to do. We have to understand what a tourist goes through when he wants to experience our “sights.” First, he must have a reason to come:

Enjoy attractions

Enjoy tourist activities and experience the culture

Visit friends and relatives

Attend a meeting or conference

Do business

Buying airline ticket is so easy— but will he need a visa to come here? Other countries may not require a visa, or it can be easily secured upon arrival right there at the airport.

I asked my Indian friend Kishu how come 21 percent of our foreign tourists are Koreans while only 1 percent are Indians. He answered that Philippine consulates in India treat potential Indian tourists like potential illegal immigrants. What will the Indians do? They go to Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong—countries who either do not require a visa or who make the process of securing one hassle-free. Kishu also opined that because Korea is more economically developed, our consulates in Korea make getting a visa so much easier.

What should be priority

The solution seems to be cheap—and that is why no one bothers to work on it. No money for contracts, real estate speculation and bribes—just better customer service, better processes and our much-bragged about hospitality. All that is needed is a little teamwork, cooperation and a tourism mindset among the government agencies.

The bottom line is: What should take priority, getting more tourists or preventing any would-be illegal immigrants from getting in? The answer should be obvious—Filipinos want to work abroad, so why do we think the Indians, for instance, would like to come to the Philippines to work?

Kishu also said that the few Indians who visit the Philippines again get hassled at immigration and customs. “So what?” some people would say, “They are already here.”

I do not think these people know the concept of repeat business and referral business. A tourist who has been hassled at immigration and customs will definitely not have anything positive to say about his “experience” in the Philippines. Goodbye testimonials!

The tourist’s next step is to get transportation to the hotel and where he will stay (especially if he is a whim traveler) so a Tourist Assistance Kiosk is a critical service right there at the airport. For the Department of Tourism (DoT) and the tourist industry, providing this service should not be expensive or difficult. One should not be “held up” by preferred transport operators to avoid the possibility of being held up by an errant taxi driver. I am not a foreign tourist but I have frequently complained when airport guards used to drive away taxi cabs in favor of P500 limousines just to get more business. We should make sure that tourists are given transport and not “taken for a ride.” Again, it’s a classic case of penalizing 95 percent of the tourists to avoid the 5 percent bad incidents that can happen. Or if this is really necessary, why not make the prices equal to the ordinary transport?

Tourist Assistance Kiosk

A Tourist Assistance Kiosk can recommend to the tourist the accommodation that will fit his budget—and he should be able to do this at the airport. He should not be at the mercy of the taxi driver who brings him to a tourist dump rather than a decent hotel or inn. I will not write in detail about the need for accommodation, activities, attractions and amenities that tourists should be able to enjoy at fair prices. We should have choices for them—premium prices for those who enjoy nothing but the best—and economy rates for those with limited budget. I am sure that there must be options like these on offer—the question is: Do the tourists know this or are they just left on their own to figure this out?

Then there’s the service aspect. At all times, everyone should be friendly, caring and honest—a pervasive culture of tourism that can be felt in the way we treat our tourists. If we see others taking advantage of tourists, we should report these to the authorities. The DoT should work in tandem with the industry players, local authorities and the Philippine National Police (PNP). Again, I will surmise that there might be initiatives like these but what’s the story? No one knows.

We must also make sure that tourist facilities are always properly maintained, repaired and cleaned. There is no need to spend billions in new construction to have comfortable and clean surroundings and toilets. Even malls, with their huge clientele, manage to do this quite decently. Why can’t the country’s “lobby” that welcomes the tourists be better maintained?

Maintenance

One cannot overemphasize MCM too much—maintenance before new construction, and continued maintenance after construction. In Europe, century-old castles are kept in good condition, in fine shape and in cleanliness. Why do our facilities get run down and unusable after a few years? Your guess is as good as mine.

Millions of pesos spent in promotion and billions in infrastructure will go to waste if we don’t take care of the basics. Word of mouth advertising is more powerful than print, TV and the Internet.

But this is a double-edged sword.

(The article reflects the personal opinion of the late author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines. The author was president of Systems Sciences Consult Inc. and member of the MAP Task Force Tourism and Nationhood. Feedback at [email protected]. For previous articles, please visit map.org.ph.)