DEFYING warnings of an imminent explosive eruption by Taal Volcano, 16 tourism establishments in Tagaytay City reopened over the weekend, many of them restaurants.
A list provided by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to the BusinessMirror showed the reopened establishments as of January 18 were: Malaco Bed and Breakfast, Magallanes Square Hotel, Tagaytay Haven Mendez, Fernwood Gardens, Bikyeong Restaurant, Bulalo Point, Papa Dom’s, Max’s Restaurant, Eway’s Grill, Jose at Sky Ranch, Taaleña Restaurant, Dakasi, Pamana Restaurant, Kuya J Restaurant, Green ATS Bulaluhan and Entrada. Other establishments also reopened, among them Sky Ranch, an amusement park owned by SM Prime Holdings Inc., according to other media reports.
Including non-tourism establishments, such as drug stores, supermarkets and clothing stores, there are now 59 establishments open in Tagaytay, as per sources.
Tourism establishments started reopening on January 17, after Sen. Francis Tolentino met with the Tagaytay Tourism Council and hotel operators the day before and nudged them to “open as soon as possible.” Tagaytay is the Tolentino family’s political bailiwick. (See, “Tagaytay hotels to reopen on lawmakers’ insistence,” in the BusinessMirror, January 17, 2020.)
Tagaytay City derives most of its income from the tourism industry, with many hotels and restaurants on the ridge having a clear view of the active volcano.
Safety paramount
Contacted for a comment, Tourism Congress of the Philippines President Jose C. Clemente III said the group supports the call of the Department of Tourism (DOT) for tourism establishments still operating in the vicinity of Taal Volcano to temporarily cease operations “until the situation becomes more stable. At this point, the safety and well-being of workers and those still staying at these establishments is paramount.”
He added, “We call on those establishments to cease operations in the meantime as we want to avoid any untoward incidents as a result of an escalation in Taal Volcano’s activities.” On January 15, the DOT issued a news statement strongly advising tourism establishments to close down due to the Alert Level 4 status of Taal Volcano, which means an explosive eruption was imminent within days or weeks.
Tagaytay City remains within the 14-kilometer danger zone from Taal Volcano, although the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology now says due to the city’s elevation, the area doesn’t have to be evacuated.
The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) has estimated P7.63 billion in economic losses for the province of Batangas alone. As for Tagaytay, the city was said to have earned some P1 billion in “indirect revenue” from tourism in 2018.
Clemente, who is also president of Rajah Tours Philippines, said their company has “received about 10 cancellations due to canceled flights and general apprehension [on Taal Volcano’s eruption].”
DFA’s Winter Escapade
The Department of Foreign Affairs is hosting its Winter Escapade—an offshoot of its annual Ambassadors, Consuls General, and Tourism Directors Tours (ACGTDT)—from January 15 to 22, which Rajah Tours operates.
In town is a 130-person tour group from various places in Canada, mostly Fil-Canadians, wanting to get back to their roots. Under this year’s tour, the key destinations being highlighted are Bataan, Clark and Boracay.
While the tour group had no plans to visit Tagaytay, Clemente said, his company had drawn up contingency plans in case flights to Boracay Island are canceled. “Even if they are not visiting Calabarzon, there are still possible effects [from another Taal eruption].”
Meanwhile, the veteran tour operator explained, “The Winter Escapade is crucial in renewing cultural ties, as well as creating new ones for younger participants, focusing on the huge balikbayan (homeland returnees) segment, which is rapidly growing due to the continued migration of Filipinos abroad and the significant expansion of the second and third generation Filipinos.”
He added, the tour is also geared toward “mainstream Canadian travelers who will be given an opportunity to see and experience the various parts of the Philippines with the hope of enticing more visitors to come in subsequent tours.”
He said many of the participants in this year’s tour are repeat visitors, underscoring the importance of this DFA project, which was started in 2005 under the term of then Secretary Alberto Romulo. For the regular ACGTDT, usually held in July, about 300 visitors from all over the United States, mostly Filipino-Americans, participate in the annual trips.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes