Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas over the weekend revealed that the city’s tourism industry may have lost an estimated ₱ 7.4 billion pesos in tourism receipts from March 15 to June 15, 2020.
Treñas revealed the city’s economic losses and plans during the annual membership meeting of the Iloilo Local Economic Development (ILED) Foundation recently.
Hotels and other accommodation establishments suffered ₱ 678.3 million in losses from March 15 to June 15, based on the hotel occupancy rate of the same period last year.
The city also lost ₱ 28 million due to canceled events for the same period.
The mayor said that part of the city’s economic recovery programs will be to work with the local tourism industry as the pandemic’s effects will be felt even after it dies down.
“We will work with our local tourism [industry] to help the hospitality industry since the effects of this pandemic are perceived to be felt even a few years from now. By strengthening our local tourism industry, we can encourage people to spend and provide jobs for those in the hospitality industry,” the mayor said.
(Joseph Marzan via The Daily Guardian (TDG), photo by TDG)