Tables for guests. The main dining room of the Radisson Blu Hotel, which is managed by the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, is large enough to accommodate tourists and locals alike. Carlson Rezidor vice president for operations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific said there is strong interest in tourism investments for the country but worries about the outdated infrastructure. (Sun.Star File)
 
Tables for guests. The main dining room of the Radisson Blu Hotel, which is managed by the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, is large enough to accommodate tourists and locals alike. Carlson Rezidor vice president for operations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific said there is strong interest in tourism investments for the country but worries about the outdated infrastructure. (Sun.Star File)
 
IMPROVING flight connectivity and infrastructure can make the Philippines more accessible and feasible for many more international tourists, a top official of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, the hotel management firm of Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, said.
 
While Andre De Jong, vice president for operations of Carlson Rezidor Southeast Asia and Pacific, admitted the Philippines has huge potential to grow its tourism industry, he emphasized the need for the country to fix and upgrade its infrastructure, as well as boost its connectivity to attract more arrivals and stimulate more tourism investments.
 
De Jong said Carlson Rezidor has a strong interest to strengthen its presence in the country, but inadequate infrastructure and limited connectivity is causing the delay of expansion.
 
“The Philippines ranks the fifth country in Asia where we have the largest portfolio. The interest of growing here is there, but we need to fix things like infrastructure and connectivity for the country to grow its popularity (to tourists and investors),” said De Jong in an interview Monday.
 
He noted that the potential of the Philippines to capture more foreign tourists is huge, with rising international travel to Asia Pacific.
 
“All indicators of travel and tourism in Asia are positive. The Philippines, which is part of Asia Pacific, should also be growing, and it has to catch up with other popular destinations like Thailand and Malaysia, whose tourists are also increasing and whose infrastructure and connectivity are in the various stages of development,” he said.
 
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) projects a six percent arrivals growth in the Asia Pacific region this year. Based on its annual Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts for 2015 to 2019, Asia Pacific destinations will welcome 33 million more foreign arrivals this year more than it did in 2014, lifting the expected total inbound volume to around 547 million by the end of the year. Southeast Asia grew at an average rate of nine percent.
 
Asia Pacific is a key market for Carlson Rezidor. The group recently surpassed the 100th hotel in Asia Pacific and targets to have 200 hotels in the region by 2020.
 
De Jong was in Cebu to grace Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu’s fifth anniversary yesterday. 
 
The hotel is owned by SM Hotels and Conventions. Aside from Radison Blu Cebu, Carlson Rezidor also manages two other properties—Park Inn Davao and Park Inn Clark in Pampanga, which will open next month.
 
With its strong partnership with the SM Group, De Jong also disclosed that there are ongoing talks on the possibility of operating another hotel in Cebu South Road Properties, where the SM Group is currently building an integrated development.
 
Should talks prosper, De Jong said Park Inn by Radisson would be a fitting choice.
 
The hotel management firm is exploring other destinations in the country like Boracay and Palawan and secondary cities such as Iloilo for possible expansion. Carlson Rezidor is also expanding into markets such as the Maldives and Bangladesh, and targeting Malaysia, Vietnam and New Zealand and key cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo.