Government officials, on a weekly basis, are always talking about tourism opportunities for the province. Yet, when elaborating on the topic, most of what is discussed is merely basic promotions and namedropping. While there is a marketing component when it comes to the subject of tourism, there is more that needs to be done than just putting up a billboard or saying “do this because I said so.”
This is not to say projects such as gathering international travel agents for tours or inviting dignitaries is not productive, but the majority of discussions heard in the media are those who just speak in platitudes in an effort to sound informed or, worse, “famous.”
On a recent visit to Guangzhou, the third most populated city in China, around 90 kilometers away from Hong Kong, had the pleasure of experiencing a special travel options offered for passengers who were transiting through – and it is not exclusive to the primary carrier into Guangzhou, similar plans are offered by carriers with hubs in Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
On this particular occasion, JFK International Airport in New York City was the final destination and when browsing through ticket options, the most inexpensive options were all carriers of the People’s Republic of China, with varying layover times in China.
Amid researching the various airlines, had never flown any of them in the past, saw the flight on China Southern Airlines was one of the lowest-priced ones, with a flight that would get into NYC early in the morning – perfect timing to have everything gathered and begin the journey via subway to a friend’s house in Brooklyn. However, the “perfectly timed” flight came with an 11-hour layover in Guangzhou. While not opposed to long layovers, had one that last nearly 24 hours in Abu Dhabi when flying with Etihad Airways on a prior occasion and was able to venture into the city. Decided to look into similar options with China Southern; however, the difference was, in the United Arab Emirates, a visa was not needed, in China, one is required.
Vacationed in Shanghai a couple years ago and prior to the visit, had to travel to Cebu, to the Chinese consulate, to get a visa approved.
Reviewing options with such a lengthy layover, saw the airline – and the government – already looked into such a matter and had 72-hour visas available for passengers with long layovers. The offer is both a convenience and, clearly, a way for the government to advance their tourism initiatives; allowing people to visit the country for a short period without the hassle of applying for a visa – a huge boost. On the part of the airline itself, their policy states passengers with layover in excess of eight hours are entitled to a free hotel stay – the same policy is in place with China Eastern Airlines, which serves Shanghai.
The policy is something completely unheard of in the airline industry and, as with most things, it is a matter of seeing if things were as the company said they were.
Took the bait and, having been to Shanghai already, went with the Guangzhou-based carrier.
The flight from Manila to Guangzhou was just about an hour and a half, around the same time it takes to fly between Manila and Bacolod City. Prior check-in, made sure all checked bags were going all the way to NYC and there was no need to collect them in Guangzhou – if left with two big suitcases, there would be no wandering the city. Once disembarkation in China was underway, found an airline agent and asked about the visa policy, she was adorned with a pin that said “I speak English” and was very accommodating.
A Filipino couple approached and asked a similar question, oddly enough, they were also headed to JFK but had a different flight, which included another layover in San Francisco. The agent asked if boarding passes for the connections were already acquired – had already secured a seat to NYC, the couple did not.
Equipped with a boarding pass for the next flight out of Guangzhou, the agent’s next instructions were to complete an arrival card and when finished, go directly to a specific immigration counter. She also provided a map of the airport as to where to make arrangements for complimentary accommodations.
Walking towards immigration, noticed it was not the regular line, as the standard line of those entering the country was long and winding between stanchions. In this line, there was only one other party ahead. Handing over the passport and arrival card, was asked where the visa was, informed the officer it was a situation involving a long layover and was directed to the line by an agent from the airline. After flipping through some of the pages, noticed he stopped and perused the expired visas from China and the UAE, he found an empty spot and stamped and that was it – free to enter China.
Without the need for a hotel, went looking for the subway instead of the accommodations booth and found out a one-day pass on the train cost RMB 20, or around ₱144, which allows for unlimited rides on the subway within a 24-hour period.
The process was very straightforward and painless; likely, a combination of simple policy and accommodating staff.
One of the primary differences between the way tourism is tackled in the China versus locally is that most officials in the Philippines only talk about word of mouth exposure (via media) or advertising tourism spots; which, as previously mentioned, is only a part of the process. During last month’s Panaad sa Negros Festival, Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr., talking about tourism having a “multiplying effect,” however, while true, he failed to go into much details on any proposals on the actual subject.
Seeing the effort made by the airline in promoting both their company’s benefits (free hotel stays), along with making the government portion of the process (immigration) easy as well, it makes for a positive perspective for passengers and, more importantly, future passengers. It goes beyond putting up a billboard, bragging about an achievement from years ago, or making oneself into a self-described expert and spouting what they believe to be Gospel.
After observing so much talk from local people “in the know” and, then, seeing innovative ideas in action elsewhere, it exposes the babble for what it is. Like most things, it takes a lot more than talk, unfortunately, most local policies and actions never go beyond that phase./WDJ