Baguio service sector: ‘Revenge travel is over’

Baguio Country Club general manager Anthony de Leon, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) said, revenge travel among tourists began to slide down several months ago, indicating that the desire of people to travel is over, prompting tourism industry stakeholders to become creative in enticing people to tour around the country.

Though de Leon acknowledged tourist arrivals after the COVID-19 pandemic are slightly better, which is why the local tourism industry here remains robust, amid the rainy season.

The HRAB official claimed that many of the accommodation establishments in the different parts of the city are fully booked during weekends but there are also regular visitors being recorded during weekdays that maintain decent tourist arrival figures for the first eight months of the year.

De Leon also acknowledged that Baguio still remains as one of the more preferred tourist destinations in the country because of its cool weather. It serves as a natural pull for visitors to keep coming back to the city and enjoy its romantic weather condition for them to be able to escape the effects of the scorching heat in the lowlands, he added.

HRAB chairman Jefferson Ng meanwhile pointed out that the drop in tourist arrivals over the past several months could be attributed to the effects of the recent calamities that have struck the country. 

Though according to Ng, the desire to travel among foreign and domestic tourists is starting to regain its momentum with the start of the various crowd drawing events in the different parts of the country.  That is why local tourism industry stakeholders are keeping their fingers crossed that the situation will normalize in the next few weeks.

Ng also pointed out that the effects of the ongoing La Nina phenomenon should not be that debilitating so that the local tourism industry is able to rebound and sustain its gains.

Both HRAB officials believe that the upcoming conduct of the 17th edition of the prestigious Hotel and Restaurant Tourism (HRT) Weekend in October will definitely contribute in luring visitors to the city to witness the competition among hospitality industry stakeholders.

The annual HRT Weekend is a purely private sector-led that intends to bring the country’s hospitality industry stakeholders together for them to showcase their respective skills and talents in various fields of the profession to serve as an added attraction for visitors frequenting the city.