RP tourism ends Hong Kong push after hostage deaths focus 09/20/2010

RP tourism ends Hong Kong push after hostage deaths

focus

09/20/2010
The Philippines has announced that it will stop marketing its tourist attractions to Hong Kong as the key market is lost after a hostage-taking fiasco left eight persons from the southern Chinese territory dead.

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said the government would instead focus its marketing efforts on other countries to hit the target of 3.3 million arrivals this year from just over three million in 2009.

“Going to Hong Kong at this time would be wrong. They would say we are only after their business. We should show sympathy instead,” he added.

The Chinese territory issued a an alert warning against all visits to the Philippines after a sacked police officer hijacked a tourist bus in Manila, killing eight Hong Kong visitors as police mounted a bungled rescue.

The Aug. 23 bloodbath outraged China and Hong Kong residents and prompted many prospective visitors to cancel. Some tourists already in the country left abruptly before their tours were completed.

It was a huge loss, with Hong Kong and China accounting for nine percent of tourist arrivals in the Philippines, according to the Tourism department..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100920com5.html