Local hoteliers and tourism industry stakeholders welcome the new players in the industry to provide alternative accommodations for foreign and domestic tourists frequenting the city, especially with the unprecedented bookings and occupancies registered by operational facilities.
Anthony de Leon, general manager of the Baguio Country Club (BCC) and president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB), disclosed that the organization has just accepted two additional members who are new players in the local hotel industry which is an indication that there is still a need for more accommodation establishments in the city.
He pointed out that investors wanting to put up accommodation facilities in the city must first look into the market that they want to cater to be able to decide on the type of accommodation establishment to put up.
Further, the BCC official explained that investors need to consider whether they want to cater to the accommodation requirements of tourists who want to staying hotels when going in a vacation or to those who want to stay in transient houses because of budgetary limitations and that both scenarios are present among tourists frequenting the city as their desired destination.
De Leon stated that despite the increasing number of transient houses operating in the different parts of the city, many hotels have still registered unprecedented bookings and occupancies since last year which is an indication of the demand for decent accommodation in the city.
According to him, the travel revenge of tourists right after the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly contributed in significantly improving the bookings and occupancies of hotels in the city since last year, thus, the demand for decent accommodation still remains high.
HRAB is an organization of hotels, restaurants and local tourism stakeholders that promote the welfare of the hospitality industry where the same had existed for 20 years since its creation in 2003.
The HRAB president claimed that what is surprising is that even at the height of heavy rains, most of the hotels in the city are either fully booked or close to being fully occupied by tourists that opted to check in and visit the city even during the rainy months to be able to enjoy the city’s temperate weather.
For his part, Ramon Cabrerra, general manager of the Camp John Hay Manor, revealed that people are eager to travel to their desired destinations after the imposition of community quarantine restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years for them to see whether or not there were significant improvements in their favorite vacation sites and for them to be able to have a first hand experience in their favorite destinations to break their confinement in their homes during the pandemic.
He added that local hotels are ready to cater to the accommodation requirements of tourists wanting to spend their break in the city and that their prices remain competitive based on the market as they know when to lower or maintain their hotel rates which will be beneficial to both the visitors and the hoteliers.