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High airfares to RP affect tourist arrivals

theboholchronicle.com

The expensive airfares in coming to the country is a major block that prevents the entry of tourists, according to Gov. Erico Aumentado upon his arrival last Sunday from a six-day mission to South Korea.

He immediately recommended to Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to adopt an "open sky policy" to reduce the airfares from Incheon and Pusan to the country to make Philippine tourism globally competitive to other destinations.

Aumentado's first recommen-dation to the President was contained in a two-page report he made upon arrival from Korea last Sunday.

Gov. Aumentado spoke during the 15th East and Southeast Asia International Conference held in Gumi City, South Korea. He delivered the talk "Bringing Bohol into the Global Roadmap: Promoting International Tourism and Foreign Investments."

The governor, during his mission, bagged fund assistance for the feasibility studies of mega projects which he earlier want his successor to work on since he will be ending his nine-year term in 2010.

These feasibility studies, once conducted before his term ends, will be the "best gift" he can turnover to whoever succeeds him as governor after the 2010 elections.

Five major multi-million mega projects might be getting through its actual drawing board after funding for its feasibility studies were approved in principle by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the EDCF-Eximport Bank.

The fund assistance was sealed during the six-day visit of Gov. Aumentado last week where he met with top executives of the funding agencies.

He told the Chronicle that KOICA agreed to grant ODA funding for the feasibility studies of the Bohol Port to port Highway (Tubigon-Sagbayan-Carmen-Sierra Bullones-Jagna), the Bohol Agriculture Master Plan-Small Water Impounding Projects in Buenavista, Danao and Loboc towns, the Panglao Island Sewerage and Drainage System and the Bohol Irrigation Project stage 3.

Gov. Aumentado likewise confirmed that the ambitious multi-access Bohol-Cebu Friendship Bridge gets the fund assistance for its feasibility study by EDCF-Eximport Bank.

The visit of the governor likewise generated support for the setting up of a shipyard, subject to the requirement of 200-megawatt power plant.

He also met Kim Taw, the general sales agent of Philippine Airlines where he learned on the high airfare in coming to the country.

In his same report to the President, the governor reiterated his belief that the construction of the Panglao Bohol International Airport (PBIA) will become the "magnet of Bohol's faster economic development not for tourism alone, but for trade and commerce as well.

In his speech during the international confab, Aumentado stressed that the success of Bohol tourism is a product of a five-year consistent promotional efforts done through the joint efforts of the government and private sectors.

As a prime eco-tourism destination, Bohol is easier to promote, the governor stressed.

Talking like a "salesman," he stressed the incentives for investors which include the exemption from realty tax for seven years, 10% tax credit of total infrastructure cost, and non-fiscal incentives through assistance by the Bohol Investment Promotion Center (BIPC).

This is aside from the 4 to 6 years tax holiday allowed by the Philippine Economic Zone (PEZA) including also the special 5% tax on gross income earned, tax and duty-free importation of capital equipment, employment of foreign nationals, special investors' visa and incentives under the Board of Investment Law.

 Printable Version  | published Nov 11, 2007