The Royal Treatment at Puerto Princesa
With safety protocols firmly enforced, Puerto Princesa
is poised to again welcome tourists with open arms. In recent years, the highly
urbanized city and tourist haven has been paralyzed by the Covid-19 pandemic,
then pummeled by Typhoon Odette. But it is now on the road to recovery---as
spectacularly as its scenic, romantic and gastronomic attractions.
“The tourism industry is the lifeblood of Puerto
Princesa, along with agriculture. Almost 15,000 people directly or indirectly
benefit from tourism. In varying degrees, most of the recent construction and
development projects are related to tourism: hotel-building, parks, cruise-ship
ports, street lights, roads and many more. Unfortunately, some of these have
been on hold since the onset of the pandemic,” discloses Demetrio “Toto” Alvior
Jr., the city tourism officer.
The Royal Connection
Puerto Princesa, the capital of postcard-perfect
Palawan, sprawls across 253,982 hectares of captivating coastlines stretched
over 106 kilometers. Due to its strategic geographical location, it has
sufficient depth to allow ships of all sizes to anchor, earning a reputation as
a “Princess of Ports,” or in Spanish, “Puerto Princesa.”
There’s no contention that Puerto Princesa is one of
the country’s greatest pleasures. A holiday destination universally beloved by
travelers, beach-combers and trekkers; a bustling business center with a rural
allure; a provincial vibe with modern amenities; and a clean and green city
recognized for its lush forests, fresh air and frontier character.
Rising Above Covid-19
The city of Puerto Princesa has been struggling to get
to its feet since the outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2020. The lack of tourists,
which is the main industry, has forced hundreds of tourism-related businesses
to close, leaving thousands of tourism workers unemployed.
“The public-health crisis forced them to find
alternative sources of income, which was made more difficult because of the
restrictions of movement due to several lockdowns,” Mr. Alvior reveals. “One
factor of low tourist arrivals is the fluctuating number of Covid cases, which
in turn affects the determination of quarantine requirements and national
government intervention policies.”
Today, Puerto Princesa is experiencing record lows in
terms of economic losses, losing around P5 billion a year for the past two
years from potential tourist receipts.
“The City Tourism Department has been strengthening its
social media campaigns to encourage local tourists to visit local attractions,
in a bid to boost much-needed revenues to the ailing tourism sector,” a
cautiously optimistic Mr. Alvior says. “We have one important wish in the City
Tourism Department, and that is to prioritize the aids for the Typhoon
Odette-affected tourism industry here.”
The goal is to regain the city’s glory as an
eco-tourism capital. “Our 2022 goals are full restoration of all the tourist
attractions affected by Typhoon Odette such as the completion of the
construction of the cruise-ship port and other man-made tourist attractions.
There will be wide, extensive and aggressive promotions of Puerto Princesa to
the local and international market.”
The Last Frontier
Puerto Princesa has a plethora of tourist spots. But
many tourists who visit the city put the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
National Park, one of the New7Wonders of Nature, on top of their list. As the
jump-off point for exploring the world-famous Tubbataha Reef, the city also
hosts a fair share of adventurers.
“Since the Covid-19 outbreak, we have never ceased to
hope that the future will be better. This year 2022 is no different. And while
what we want is a full recovery, we cannot afford to be careless when taking
big steps. As we begin to truly understand the gravity of the situation, we
also come to realize that our moves must be consistent with the bigger picture
such as the national situation,” Mr. Alvior says.
Since February 10, the city has been happily welcoming
more visitors once again, hoping that the arrival numbers will soon be back to
pre-pandemic levels. In this initiative, the tourism department shares the
privilege on with the private sector.
“While the government is the administrator of the
State, the private sector is the bloodline. The government and the private
sector are two inseparable factors for Puerto Princesa to prosper, and more
importantly, to recover,” Mr. Alvior says. “The key to recovery is to enable
and support the private sector to keep or resume their business operations.
When it comes to the city’s biggest partners, apart from government agencies,
it is the collective impact of small-business operations.”
Puerto Princesa may be “The Last Frontier,” but the
City Tourism Department is confident that it will always be the first choice of
every traveler.
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