Hear ye, hear ye! The quarantine alert levels here in Metro Manila have been lowered, and some of our domestic destinations have announced that RT-PCR tests are no longer required for fully vaccinated visitors.
Naturally, the stakeholders of our country’s accommodation industry are now grinning from ear to ear as they also declared the completion of their respective preparations in seeing to the safety of their guests.
From Luzon to Visayas to Mindanao, member hotels and resorts of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) Philippines are confidently opening their doors to guests with what can be called an “added safety armor” – practically all their staff, totaling more than 15,000, have already been fully vaccinated.
HSMA, with Benjie Martinez, area director of sales and marketing at Bayleaf Hotels, as president, just completed another highly successful run of their September Online Sale (SOS). Just like last year, its member hotels offered discounts on rooms and ancillary services, as much as 70 percent, in the form of e-vouchers that could be used in a span of a year from the date of purchase, and may be extended upon request.
Martinez happily reported the overwhelming success of this year’s edition of SOS, as they doubled last year’s revenues resulting to almost triple of last year’s voucher sales. This year’s month-long promo was in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), Tourism Promotions Board, Atlantis, iSentia, and Cebu Pacific Air.
Loleth So, HSMA vice president, happily announced that, as of now, 98 percent of the staff of their 125 member-properties have already received their complete vaccine dosage. As early as March this year, she reached out to and coordinated with each property’s human resource department to ensure their access to the amount of vaccines they required.
Thanks to their collaborative partnerships with local government leaders, the DOT, and the Metro Manila Development Authority, led by the Metro Manila Council, the HSMA member-properties will certainly reach their target of 100-percent vaccination rate in a matter of days.
This vaccination drive is in line with the DOT’s “Safe Trip, Pinas” campaign, an initiative established with the interest of every Filipino’s health and safety in mind. Through this campaign, the DOT is working with hotels and resorts to implement strict protocols and precautionary measures set by the World Health Organization (WHO) to make travel safe for both their guests and employees.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat declared that inoculating our country’s tourism front-liners is a key factor in reopening our industry, as it restores the public’s confidence to travel, resulting in higher socio-economic activities towards boosting our recovery prospects.
And for all of you who are now getting ready to rediscover our country’s many beautiful tourist attractions, you are now guaranteed an extra layer of protection, thanks to our accommodation industry’s proactive efforts in making these preparations so that they can, once again, promise you those memorable, “Instagramable” moments as they pamper you with their unique brand of Filipino hospitality.
So, now, where will it be? Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao? Our beautiful country is ready for you!
YOUR weekend CHUCKLE
Marriage is a relationship where one person is always right and the other person is the husband.
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