Baguio City Loses P1.4B Possible Revenue Due to Coronavirus Crisis
BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the Summer Capital loses P1.4 billion in possible revenue amid battle against coronavirus disease.
Magalong said peak months of the city is set from February onwards but since the closing of borders and restricted movements, losses in the tourism industry have ballooned to the billion-peso mark.
Mayor Magalong said the city’s peak months were set from February onwards but with the closure of borders and restrictive movements, the city lost the tourism industry and have dipped to the billion-dollar mark.
“There was even one month na P347 million lost potential gross income ng city, mataas na income natin ay the months of February, March and April,” Magalong said adding on an average, a tourist spends at least P2,700 on every visit.
Prior to implementing the enhanced community quarantine, canceling the city’s largest events, the Baguio Flower Festival and others events for the entire year. Tourism peaks during Panagbenga Festival, Holy Week and Christmas season.
According to the data from the City Planning and Development Office, the city had 1,760,729 tourists in 2018 with a 15.7% increase from the recorded 1,521,748 tourist arrivals in 2017 while accommodation establishments employed 2,963 individuals.
Meanwhile, the mayor said the city is planning a gradual opening of industries in the city in three stages: mitigation, transition and recovery after the enhanced community quarantine. He added that the plan is already made to bring back the tourism industry which also provide thousands of jobs.
“We will be launching a movement and an AVP to launch the program and this is will be announced by the Tourism Council,” the mayor said plans for the city to recover are being handled by the private sector-led by Baguio Tourism Council for a strategy to boost the city’s main industry.
Baguio was hailed as ‘Model City’ for immediate actions against the coronavirus disease. For the past few weeks, the city recorded zero cases of Persons under investigation (PUI), Persons under monitoring (PUM), and positive with the virus.
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