Tourism chief meets Metro Manila hotels for SEA Games

November 28, 2019

  Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat met with representatives of various hotels in Metro Manila in an emergency meeting Wednesday where foreign athletes and officials in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games are currently billeted in.

This came after issues on transportation of athletes from airport to hotels ensued, compounded with issues over food and ferrying players to practice venues.

The emergency meeting  at the Department of Tourism in Makati City, served as a platform for some 32 hotels, industry associations including the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP), Philippine Hotel Owners Association Inc. (PHOAI); Hotel Sales and Marketing Associations (HSMA); and Philippine Association of Convention / Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers  (PACEOS) to raise questions and suggestions in accommodating SEA Games delegates.

Also present are Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) officials  Arsenic Lacson, director of Games Services and Chris Tiu, deputy director for Volunteer Program.

This year’s SEA Games is estimated to bring in a total of 137,563 room nights to hotels across the four clusters of Manila, Southern Luzon & La Union, Clark, and Subic, with delegates staying from November 19 to December 12, 2019.

The tourism department committed to assign a focal person in each of the four clusters and upgrading its existing information desks at the lobbies of the participating hotels.

Initially intended to promote Philippine tourist destinations and tour packages to visitors, the desks are now open to disseminating additional SEA Games-related information from Phisogc, and receiving concerns, which will be forwarded to Phisogc for proper handling.

Puyat thanked the sectors for their participation.

“Allow me to convey my gratitude to everyone for your support and active participation as a unified tourism sector, ready to render our best practices as we always have,” said Puyat, apparently moved by the bayanihan spirit and a “stepping up” mentality among the representatives of the hospitality industry. 

TCP President Jose Clemente III assured the tourism department that the entire industry pledges its support to the success of the SEA Games.

“The tourism stakeholders felt the need to work together with the DOT as it is incumbent on us to show the best of the Philippines and the Filipinos. We have to keep our focus and ensure that the overall experience of our ASEAN neighbors’ athletes and officials will be good. It’s not as important how we start, but how we finish,” said Clemente.

Puyat said a number of brands and companies have reached out to offer their products and volunteering services as support to this goal. 

“It is in situations like this that we are faced with the challenge of making our visitors’ stay in the country one of fun and fulfilling experience. Anyway, that is what this friendly competition is about. Let us win as one.  To do this, let us rise to the occasion and put our best foot forward,” added Puyat.

The tourism department is also reaching out to hotels in Clark, Calabarzon and La Union to assure quality and consistent services. DMS