Apec in Boracay a boost, not deterrent, to PH tourism – spokesman

BORACAY – The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) event here is not driving away tourists from the country’s premier summer destination, Apec spokesperson Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Charles Jose said.

During a press briefing Monday, Jose said Apec in fact helps boost tourism because it promotes Boracay as a summer destination.

“We choose Boracay (as Apec venue) because we want to promote Boracay as tourism in the Philippines… The delegates are really excited to be able to visit Boracay as a tourist destination in the Philippines but haven’t been here themselves. I think it’s a good chance for all delegates to come and see for themselves the beauty that awaits them,” Jose said.

Jose denied claims that the Apec event in Boracay drove away tourists.

“The report that there is a decrease of tourist arrivals is not quite accurate… I think the hosting of Apec here in Boracay would actually be good for tourism here in Boracay and Aklan,” he added.

He said even the 1,500 delegates for Senior Officials Meeting here are even allowed to enjoy the beach and the nightlife in Boracay.

“We give them time not just to work but also to enjoy,” Jose said.

He added that the preparations for Apec resulted in road improvements and construction of new hotels in Boracay.

For her part, Mabel Bacani, secretariat head of the Boracay Redevelopment Task Force, noted that the road improvement in Boracay is not brought about by the preparations for Apec.

She said of the 8-kilometer provincial main road that the government seeks to widen from six kilometers to 12 km, at least 1 kilometer has been completed since the project rolled out last year.

“Before APEC came we already attempted to have the roads a little bit widened… This is going to be an ongoing movement even after Apec,” she said.

She added that though the Apec delegates added to tourists numbers on the island, Boracay has been enjoying an increase in tourists, especially during the summer.

She clarified though that the Apec did not drive away tourists and denied that some Boracay activities were suspended due to the event, adding that it is too early to tell if Apec did help boost tourism on the island.

“Whether it helped increase our tourists or not, for sure, because we have 2,500 delegates coming in, added to our numbers. But even before it came it is the season in our tourism,” she said.

Jose said one of the country’s top priorities in the Apec is regional development by encouraging small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to join the global market enabling these to compete with bigger corporations.

The Philippines is hosting this year’s Apec, a delegation of 21 member economies, ahead of the Asean integration in 2015.

It hosted the Apec leaders meeting for the first time in 1996 in Subic during the Ramos administration.