Regional tourism depends on unique attractions, says airline exec

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Efforts to boost tourism exchanges between Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines under the East Asean Growth Area (Eaga) initiative  may never succeed unless each country offers attractions that are distinct from what the others have, an airline official said.

Avelino Zapanta, president and chief executive officer of Southeast Airlines (SeaAir), said that for the past 18 years, efforts to boost tourism exchanges within the Eaga continue to fail because none of the member-countries offered different products and services.

“The coconut in Indonesia is the same in the Philippines or Malaysia. We have the same products. There is a saying that goes this way: like poles repel each other,” added Zapanta, a former Philippine Airlines executive.

He said in the past, airline companies may have benefited from the Eaga initiative but this did not last long. Even when airline companies tried to offer attractive packages, passenger traffic was not always favorable, he said.

“It was always a trial and error approach but, mostly error,” Zapanta said, citing as example SeaAir’s Puerto Princesa – Kota Kinabalu flights.

Mindanao Development Authority chair Luwalhati Antonino admitted that previously established routes faced sustainability issues due to various factors, including low load factor and mismatched aircraft.

Despite his dim prognosis for the Eaga tourism exchange efforts, Zapanta said other things might help usher in success. These, he said, include involving all sectors in the regional economic grouping.

“If we want to continue the concept of the BIMP-EAGA, we should put our hearts where our mouth is,” he said.