TOURISTS, hotels and resorts, and several heritage sites have been affected by the recent earthquake that shook the province and Cebu on Monday.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) said on late Wednesday that 80 tourism establishments, 21 tourist sites, 36 accommodation establishments, and 23 other tourism infrastructure were damaged by the quake, which registered a magnitude of 6.9. The quake struck at 9:59 pm on Tuesday, with its epicenter located 11 kilometers off the eastern coast of Daanbantayan.
‘A total of 711 tourism workers in the Central Visayas region were also impacted by the quake, including employees of hotels, resorts, restaurants, travel agencies, transport services, and related enterprises,’ said the agency in a news statement.
Fifteen tourists were initially reported stranded-one foreign guest in Bogo City, eight in San Remigio, and six in Santa Fe, Bantayan Island. Eight of these 15 tourists already checked out of their hotels and were expected to arrive in Cebu City on Wednesday night.
The six tourists on Bantayan Island decided to extend their stay on Bantayan Island and wait for the ferry operations to Hagnaya Port to resume. DOT-Central Visayas was expected to facilitate the transfer of the foreign tourist in Bogo City to another hotel in the vicinity.
Tieza assesses damage
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, who joined other Cabinet officials in assessing the impact of the earthquake on Cebu province, said she instructed the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza) to assess the extent of the earthquake damage to historical structures and key tourism establishments. ‘These assessments will guide the next steps to ensure safety and provide appropriate support,’ she said.
Structures impacted include: Fort San Pedro, Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima, Daanbantayan (heavily damaged coral stone church), Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Bantayan (partial damage to heritage structure), San Isidro Labrador Church in Tabogon (collapsed facade and roof), Capelinha de Fatima Replica in San Remigio (severe structural damage), and San Juan Nepomuceno Parish in San Remigio (reported damage under inspection).
The provincial government on Facebook assured that Bohol is ‘safe and remains open to visitors. Our major roads are passable, and we have confirmed that there are no major damage and no casualties reported across the province.’
In Iloilo City, DOT Regional Director for Western Visayas Crisanta Rodriguez told the BusinessMirror, ‘Per report of our tourism officers from the local government units and tourism establishments, [there were] damage and affected tourists for Region 6.’
The provinces of Cebu and Bohol, along with Cebu City amd Iloilo City are among the most popular tourist destinations in the country. DOT data showed that last year, these destinations attracted a total of 5.63 million in foreign and domestic travelers, with Bohol topping the list at 1.37 million.
HSMA members, tourists safe
As this developed, Loleth So, president of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association, shared in a Viber message, ‘All is well with our hotels and members in Cebu. No untoward incidents have been reported to the HSMA as of this writing.’
For her part, Agnes Caparas Pacis, Vice President-Commercial of the SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. said, ‘Radisson Blu Cebu, Park Inn Iloilo, and Park Inn Bacolod all felt the recent earthquake and have successfully and smoothly evacuated all in-house guests.’ More than 500 guests were safely evacuated including function guests and checked-in guests at Radisson Blu, where an event was being held, she added.
On Facebook, Cris Evert Lato-Ruffolo, who describes herself as a teacher and journalist, posted that she was attending the Miss Asia-Pacific International benefit gala at Radisson Blu Cebu when the earthquake struck. She said she remained calm with other guests until she was reunited with her family.
‘Nothing beats a hotel with people who know what to do when emergency situations like this happen. Radisson Blu Cebu immediately led guests to the parking lot and. distributed bottled water and chairs. No shouting from during the evacuation procedures. [They were] truly calm and it was obvious that they were prepared,’ she said in a mix of English and Cebuano.
In Bohol, Amorita Resort general manager Leeds Trompeta said, ‘All our guests and associates are safe, after a thorough inspection all our buildings and equipment did not sustain any damage. Currently, we are coordinating with relief workers to send help to those affected by the earthquake.’