European ban cripples Philippine tourism

When Philippine carriers were banned from flying to Europe earlier this year, the country’s officials sounded downright nonchalant.

After all, it was in 1999 when Philippine Airlines had launched its last commercial flight to Europe. Officials evidently thought that the ban imposed by the European Commission (EC) was, well, no big deal.

In fact, the EC’s decision to ban PAL and all other carriers from the Philippines has prompted European travel insurance companies to discontinue coverage for Philippine destinations.

It was bad enough that Europeans have to make several stopovers just to be able to board a flight to the Philippines. The lack of insurance coverage became yet another disincentive for them to venture to our islands.

Seven months after the EC ban took effect, its dire consequences on the country’s travel and tourism businesses are now being felt.

The fourth quarter is traditionally the time of the year when visitors from the wintry Northern Hemisphere begin to flock to tropical destinations, such as the Philippines.

According to Bohol Rep. Arthur Yap, however, various tourism-oriented industries are beginning to report a disturbing drop in business not only in his island-province, but many other parts of the Philippines as well.

The freshman congressman, who represents a province where tourism has been booming for the past several years, is particularly concerned because Bohol has for decades been a favorite destination of Europeans.

Bohol’s beach resorts on Panglao Island, as well as the dive sites around Balicasag and Pamilacan Islands, should be teeming with Europeans this time of the year.

Lately, however, arrivals from Europe have slowed to a tric-kle, noted Yap who was agriculture secretary in the previous administration.

Mayen Go, resident manager of the Balicasag Island Dive Resort, told this writer over the weekend: “By this time of the year we would usually have many European visitors. But as you can see we only have one German, but he is our suki, a regular who has been coming here for years to go scuba diving.”

According to Go, 60 percent of visitors to Balicasag usually consisted of foreigners. “Our guests from overseas are made up of, number one, Koreans; two, Chinese; and, three, Europeans.”

Although Europeans ranked only third in terms of number, “they are by far the biggest spenders,” said Go. “Now that they seem to be staying away we are seeing our income plummet.”

The Europeans tended to stay longer than other foreign visitors to Balicasag and other resorts in Bohol, Go said. They also engaged in activities, such as scuba diving, which create the biggest income opportunities for resort operators and local service providers such as dive guides and boatmen.

Disturbed by the EC ban’s adverse effects on tourism businesses, not only in Bohol but also in other parts of the country, Yap said the national government should “address the problem squarely before it’s too late and the situation becomes irremediable.”

According to published reports, the government’s lax enforcement of aviation safety rules was what prompted the EC to ban Philippine carriers from flying to the 27 member states of the European Union (EU).

Soon after the ban was announced last April, aviation officials promised to speed up reforms even as they argued that Philippine carriers have consistently met safety standards.

EU Ambassador Alistair Mac-Donald, however, has said that while the EC acknowledged efforts exerted by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), safety-standards enforcement was still inadequate.

“In view of the Significant Safety Concern identified by [the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)] in relation to the supervisory authority and pending the implementation of adequate corrective actions, including those drawn up in response to our concerns in 2008 but not yet implemented, the [EC] considers that the supervisory authority is currently not able to implement and enforce the relevant safety standards, and decided therefore to ban from EU airspace all air carriers licensed in the Philippines until these deficiencies are corrected,” MacDonald was quoted saying.

The EC had placed all Philippine carriers, as well as those from Sudan, on a watch list of countries banned from flying to the 27-nation EU.

“In both countries it’s because of serious and persistent non-compliance of the civil aviation authorities in terms of overseeing and checks on aircraft,” EC transport spokesman Helen Kearns said.

The ICAO raised significant safety concerns after it carried out an audit on Philippine carriers in November last year.

Claims made by CAAP officials about improvements taken since the November audit, including the hiring of 47 technical personnel to oversee inspections have not erased European concerns.

Notwithstanding the efforts being exerted by the Department of Tourism, Philippine Tourism Authority and other agencies to encourage visitors from overseas to come to our islands, Europeans have apparently decided that a trip to the Philippines is not worth all their anxiety.

Coupled with the fallout from the August 23 killing in Manila of eight tourists from Hong Kong, the EC ban has crippled Philippine tourism.

What is the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino 3rd doing about it?

More important, is P-Noy aware that such a problem exists? –DAN MARIANO, Manila Times

dansoy26@yahoo.com