CURRENCY CRISIS BOOSTING DOMESTIC TOURISM
Cebu City, Jan. 20, 1998 - The fluctuating exchange rate has forced Filipino travellers to re-adjust their vacation plans to destinations closer to home, thus boosting domestic tourism.
Regional Director Patria Aurora Roa of the Department of Tourism said a growing number of locals have been enticed to visit neighboring islands rather than spend dollars in other countries, because going abroad for a holiday has become costly.
Roa said the dollar crunch is an opportunity to encourage Filipinos to look at the beauty of their own country. In the Central Visayas, the DOT is promoting Cebu and Bohol, Roa said.
"We know that a lot of Filipinos who have travelled abroad have not even seen their backyards yet. We are hoping that instead of converting their pesos to dollars abroad, they can realize that their pesos will give them more value for their money when the pesos are spent in their own country," Roa pointed out.
An example is Baguio, as pointed out by Mike Domingo of the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation (PCVC).
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