Tourism stakeholders seek financing and more government assistance to support post-COVID-19 recovery

Stakeholders from major tourism cities such as Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Legazpi, Tagbilaran, and Puerto Princesa advocated for concessional financing packages and more government support through an online roundtable discussion organized by USAID’s Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Project on April 8, 2020. More than 20 private sector representatives operating tourism-related businesses such as hotels, restaurants, resorts, theme parks, travel and tour agencies, transport services and local tourism councils participated in the virtual consultative session. Tourism officers from the five Cities Development Initiative (CDI) cities also attended the session and gave brief situationers of local tourism sectors and their respective LGU assistance to help stranded tourists and dislocated tourism workers. Dr. Randi Alampay, USAID/SURGE Tourism Specialist, provided a rapid impact assessment of the crisis and projected a sharp decline in global international tourist arrivals for this year. Dr. Alampay also cited that initial estimates of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) pegged total losses at PhP93-187 billion in terms of tourism sector gross value added and approximately 30,000 to 50,000 of lost employment. To mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19, the stakeholders called for financing packages and other government assistance that will help tourism establishments retain and rehire workers and reopen their businesses once the community quarantine is lifted by the national government. Other recommendations offered by stakeholders are discounts or deferral of local government taxes and fees, expanded coverage of the government’s emergency assistance to include more affected tourism workers, access to relevant stimulus packages offered or planned by various government agencies, assistance in business continuity and recovery planning, promotion of domestic tourism, and training and skills upgrading for tourism frontline services.