Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
(SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Jonathan D. Tan shared that his confidence
that the tourism industry’s full recovery here in the country’s premier
Freeport zone remains high.
This statement came as President
Ferdinand R. Marcos lifted the public health emergency in the country thru
Presidential Proclamation No. 297 effective July 21, 2023.
“This encouraging development
provides us with an optimistic outlook of the travel and tourism industry in
the country,” Tan said.
Tan was guest speaker at the
Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) 2023 Luzon Cluster Regional
Consultative Forum, where he addressed some 200 members, tourism stakeholders
and guests.
Dubbed as “Sustainable Tourism:
Leading the Recovery and Profitability of Business Operation in the
Post-Pandemic Era,” the regional consultative meeting aims to bring
together government and industry stakeholders to hear concerns and protect
stakeholders.
During the meeting, participants
and panelists discussed issues, concerns and plans to formulate joint programs
ensuing that the interests of the stakeholders will be heard and protected.
In his speech, Tan took pride of
the 99% tourist arrivals in 2022, which is relatively higher than 89% in 2019;
and as of June 2023, 5.15 million visitor arrivals and 436,000 tourist arrivals
have been recorded cumulatively.
“While increasing job generation
and tourism patronage has always been our goal for our tourism sector, however,
my leadership now is gearing towards holistic development of the Subic Bay,
making it a highly competitive and sustainable business and investment hub.
This is captured in our new vision for SBMA, which is Subic Bay Freeport is the
preferred sustainable investment hub and eco-tourism destination in Asia
Pacific by 2030,” Tan added.
He further said that the goal is
to improve the investment climate to attract more investors, increase revenue
and general more resilient jobs for the residents.
Among the major development plans
that will complement and drive the growth of the local tourism are the
establishment of public e-vehicle transportations, construction of the
corporate center, adoption of a smart city, and sustainability guidelines for
the agency and the business locators.
Meanwhile, he also said bared
other plans to revitalize the recovery and profitability of business operations
in the Freeport, namely: (1) holding of the Central Luzon Sustainable Tourism
Summit on September 2023; (2) revival of cruise tourism by the first quarter of
2024 with the maiden arrival of Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas, as well
as the maiden arrival the MSC’s Splendida; (3) economic cooperation on Halal
industry to make Subic Bay a Muslim-friendly destination; (4) and rebranding of
Subic Bay to align with goals and appeal to new customer segments.
During the same meeting themed
“Hopping on Towards Sustainability,” TCP president Roberto Zozobrado
acknowledged the SBMA’s continuous support as an associate member and a partner
in implementing TCP programs.
Luzon-based travel and tourism
stakeholders who participated in the forum were comprised of representatives
from the following industry: accommodation; travel and tour services; land, air
and sea tourist transport services; conventions and exhibition services and
suppliers; tourism estate development; and other accredited tourism enterprises
coming from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. (MPD-SBMA)
