UNVERIFIED FOREIGN TRAVEL ADVISORIES HURTING PHILIPPINE TOURISM

SEC. TEO AGAINST FALSE TRAVEL ADVISORIES

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Philippine Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo on Thursday called for a more reasonable and fair issuance of traveladvisories by various governments so as not to falsely discourage travel to tourism-dependent countries.

    Teo urged foreign ministries and embassy officials of various countries to consult and coordinate with the concerned countries before issuing travel advisories against any of them.

    The Philippine official reiterated her position during the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) Global Summit at the Bangkok Convention Center, where she served as one of the four panelists in the forum titled “Freedom to Travel – can ASEAN countries lead the way?” 

    Teo reminded the international travel and tourism bigwigs it is important to recognize the actual situation on the ground to avoid the issuance of travel advisories that might dissuade potential visitors without sufficient justification.

    “We respect the decision of any country to take precautionary measures to protect their citizens but it is pivotal that a consultation be made with the destination country. Needless to say, countries like the Philippines tend to suffer the most when advisories are unjustly issued,” said Teo. 

    Joining Teo as panelists were Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul and Arief Yahya, Tourism Ministers of Thailand and Indonesia, respectively; and Arun Mishra, Regional Director of ICAO Asia and Pacific Office.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo one of the panelist during the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) in Bangkok, Thailand.

    “In spite of the  advisories against traveling to certain parts of the Philippines, our government can assure travelers that the Philippines as a whole remains a safe haven for tourists and residents alike” Teo said in a separate interview with the media.

    No less than the United Nations World Travel Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General Taleb Rifai concurred with Teo’s confidence on the safety and security of Tourists coming to the country. 

    “We consider it an important sign of confidence in the Philippines, which just hosted the ASEAN Senior officials meeting on Trade and Industry in Bohol. Next week Heads of the ASEAN will convene in Manila for their annual meeting. More importantly, the UNWTO meeting slated in Manila in June will proceed as planned,” added Taleb.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo one of the panelist during the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) in Bangkok, Thailand. With Sec. Teo as panelists were Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul and Arief Yahya, Tourism Ministers of Thailand and Indonesia and Arun Mishra, Regional Director of ICAO Asia and Pacific Office.

    Taleb likewise urged government officials “to keep their travel advisories regularly updated and clearly limited in time and geographic scope in order to avoid blanket travel advisories that affect the whole of a country.”

    Also, present in the Global summit was the former Prime Minister of United Kingdom, David Cameron who expounded on why governments should rethink their actions in response to terrorism.

    “The effect of terrorism as you know all so well can be absolutely devastating. This devastation is not a by- product of the terroris but it is what they want to achieve, to plunge us into a  medieval world of fear and oppression, to shut down travel and tourism,” said Cameron. (VerGarciaBlogs)