At least 80 hotels and resorts are participating in this year’s September Online Sale (SOS) to offer marked-down rates in 19 destinations across the Philippines.
The sale, led by the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA), will run from Sept. 1 to 30.
“Wala nang mga limits (There will be no limits) when it comes to restrictions, travel, etc. Bukas na (It’s open), so technically speaking, ang chances of them (hotels and resorts) being able to sell will really be very good,” HSMA president Loleth So said during the SOS launch on Thursday.
The SOS was formed during the pandemic to help the hospitality sector stay afloat.
In 2020, it recorded PHP14.1 million in sales after selling 1,752 vouchers of hotel rooms and food packages, which doubled the following year to PHP29.6 million.
The HSMA said it targets to surpass last year’s sales, which generated PHP36.8 million worth of vouchers.
The sale will be categorized into clusters depending on the area, which includes Metro Manila, Clark, Baguio, Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Palawan and more destinations.
Like last year, the SOS will offer up to 70 percent discounts on hotel stays, food and beverage promos, banquet deals, and other hospitality offerings, among others.
“(The state of the hospitality sector) is getting better. We all know for a fact that we are already approaching the high season. I can speak for Manila hotels and Manila hotels are doing very well,” So said in a separate interview.
She disclosed that hotels in Manila were already breaching figures before the pandemic in 2019.
So said some destinations are “still recovering” but some are already “over the pandemic.”
“(An) example is Bohol. Bohol is doing very well now as compared to pre-pandemic. Cebu is also doing very well. Iba’t iba (It varies) but, generically, I can say the hospitality industry is breathing better now,” she said. “We’re very hopeful that the approaching festive season is going to be even better than the previous.”
HO-HO
In the same launch, the Department of Tourism announced the target pilot of the Pasay/Parañaque Hop-On Hop-Off (HO-HO) Tour in October.
DOT National Capital Region Director Sharlene Zabala-Batin said this leg would be essential in the planned Philippine Layover Tours being patterned after Singapore.
“The layover tours in itself is a program of the Department of Tourism but it will require the approval and partnership of other agencies that are part of the airport authorities, including the Department of Transportation, the Department of Justice, airlines and stakeholders,” she said.
An average of 30,000 travelers per month stay in Philippine airports for a layover of six to 24 hours.
“Sayang naman ang (It’s a waste of) opportunity that we can give them to visit our cultural sites, especially in the National Capital Region,” Zabala-Batin said. (PNA)
