HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPEVINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL
Last week saw me headed to the Crimson Resort & Spa Boracay for their Christmas tree-lighting; and by all accounts, the stay there and meeting GM Patrick Manthe were wonderful experiences. For some reason, I had never made it to this Station Zero jewel of a resort until last week; and I loved how Patrick, who’s an artist himself, has initiated programs to make the resort a creative hub for the island’s art and culture community. It’s a unique proposition, and one that’s he’s steadfastly championed since taking over the reins of the resort in late 2020.
On top of the accolades that the island has received this year, when Time World’s Greatest Places 2022 were announced last week, Boracay as a “paradise reborn” could now add Time to the media platforms that extoll the virtues of Bora as a global destination – and that’s great news in the midst of our drive for national recovery. Sustainable tourism has been recognized by the President as one of the pillars we should bank on for this recovery. And I’ve written about the drive and great work that DOT Sec. Christina G. Frasco and TPB’s Marga Nograles have been doing, setting the foundations to make this happen.
Upon our deplaning at the Caticlan Airport, it was a few convenient steps to where we could collect our luggage; but I have to confess that I was surprised by how it was nothing more than a repurposed, warehouse-type structure. I’ve not been to Boracay since 2017, so I quietly commented that beyond the evident improvement on the runway, I had hoped that this airport being privatized back in 2013 would have also resulted in better terminal facilities for receiving visitors.
The reason I mention this is that these airports do make for strong first impressions of the destinations we travel to. I travelled to Cambodia back in 2016, and while Phnom Penh is the capital, Issa and I flew directly to Siem Reap, where Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm are located. Blending elements of the local architecture and culture, I was impressed back then by the airport – how efficient, clean, and world class it was. And I understand, there’s a new Siem Reap International Airport; with a first phase that will be able to handle seven million passengers, opening in March of 2023.
It was on our return flight to Manila, that the Caticlan Airport set alarm bells ringing in my head. The X-ray machine malfunctioned and we were stuck waiting on the side street with no shade to protect us from the sun – I shuddered thinking what happens when it’s raining. Inside the “terminal,” it was your typical third world “little nightmare” – spatially laid out in a haphazard manner, and with things just barely functioning. While I know there’s a new impressive main terminal as part of the grand design of this rehabilitation, I’m just wondering what were the stopgap plans until this grand terminal is operational? We boarded a bus to bring us to the airplane, and I have to confess it was the usual tourist bus that’s used for ferrying tour groups within the city, or when they travel out of town. So you’re packed like sardines in seats that don’t accommodate the hand-carry that most frequent flyers will take with them. The moment you put your hand-carry on the floor, there’s no place to put your feet! In other words, these aren’t the shuttle service vehicles designed for airport transfers.
And yes, most of the passengers seemed to take all these inconveniences in stride; but I precisely raise the argument of why should we be complacent, or accept these deficiencies? Among ASEAN countries, we only rank sixth in visitor arrivals (behind Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore), and Cambodia is No. 7. So why does Siem Reap, which isn’t even the capital, already enjoy a very decent airport back in 2016, and is on track to have an improved version by next year?
It’s all well and good to say that visitors will enjoy their Boracay stay, and love the people; but if one makes arrivals and departures an ordeal or inconvenience, those facts linger, and will make visitors think twice about returning, and/or impact on what kind of word of mouth they’ll disseminate. For tourism to really flourish, we can’t fall back on “Pwede na yan!” (That will do). We will be compared to other tourist destinations in the region; and have to be at par, if not better.
So yes, our airports do deserve scrutiny. It’s not enough to say that the Mactan/Cebu airport is world class, or that I hear great things about the Bicol International Airport in Legazpi City. I’m sorry to say our NAIA Terminals aren’t close to world class; and that from what I experienced last week, the airport servicing as popular a destination as Boracay, also leaves much to be desired. Let’s do something about all this... now!