Judging by the data generated by global travel analytics firm ForwardKeys last weekend, the Philippines is leading in the tourism revival in Southeast Asia when it comes to visitors from the US. “The destinations which are recovering most strongly are the Philippines and Singapore. Summer flight bookings for the Philippines are currently at 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels,” according to ForwardKeys. It noted that the positive trend is contributed also by people returning to our country to visit friends and relatives, whereas travel to other destinations in Southeast Asia is more for work and leisure. One of the pertinent findings from the firm is that destinations that relaxed travel restrictions earlier, such as the Philippines and Singapore, have recovered more strongly. Looking back, the IATF’s decision to ease entry of vaccinated foreigners proved to be an astute decision, which helped the local tourism industry get back on its feet during the summer season. Though travel to the region is just currently 18 percent of pre-pandemic levels, tourism experts have set rosy forecasts, as flight bookings in the coming months are expected to hit around 43 percent. The current slump is also due to the fact that China, which used to be Southeast Asia’s largest source of tourists, is still experiencing Covid-related travel restrictions and outbound travel is not encouraged. This is also the same with Japan and India, major travel markets that are cautiously opening their borders to outbound leisure travelers. At this point, this is the best time for “regrouping.” The new administration has 10 days left before it takes the reins of the departments, and it would be a practical—and welcome—move for the incoming secretary for the Department of Tourism (DOT) Christina Frasco to start laying out a post-pandemic recovery plan for the sector. This early, Frasco was lauded for her performance in making Liloan, Cebu, where she is mayor, into a tourist attraction amid the challenges posed by the pandemic. In an interview, Frasco sees Cebu’s tourism governance “as a good model for other destinations in the country, and that coordination among tourism stakeholders and development of lesser-known destinations, which are parts of Cebu’s model… could help in the revival of the tourism sector.” "Being well versed in the challenges that are faced from the grassroots and on the ground can help our DOT come up with sustainable, innovative, medium, and long-term solutions to the challenges that our tourism frontliners, tourism stakeholders, and partners continue to have as a result of the difficulties of the pandemic," Frasco said. "I bring with me the experience of being a local chief executive, whose main challenge is to face and try to solve crisis after crisis." Now is also a time to “recharge”—for hospitality workers to undergo retraining, for hotels and resorts to undergo minor renovations, and for tourism organizations and related businesses to rekindle ties for the upliftment of the industry. Sooner or later, once new cases of Covid could be contained or controlled with better vaccines and boosters, the local tourism industry will experience a massive revival—a Renaissance never seen in recent memory that will see skyrocketing demand for flights, accommodations, food, transport, and events and leisure services. This forebodes well for an industry that has suffered the worst of the pandemic slump. And our country should be ready when that time comes, instead of being overwhelmed and caught off guard, like a fool who has missed the gravy train. The “ruins” of the pandemic can be rebuilt. But, like Rome, we can’t rebuild something grand and great in a day. To rebuild means constant communication between industry players and business owners, coordination between the national government and the LGUs, and conversation between tourism leaders and hospitality frontliners. We hope that the incoming tourism secretary will forge a bridge of understanding and start regrouping as soon as day one of the new administration arrives because it is “now or never” when it comes to our tourism recovery.