BUSINESS NEWS Asia Travel Association (Pata) annual summit in Cebu. Ian Taylor reports from the Philippines
‘There’s no excuse for not making tourism accessible’
Te travel industry should not equate disability with wheelchair access, Pata members were told. Lonely Planet accessible travel
manager Martin Heng told the summit: “Accessibility is absolutely not about people in wheelchairs. Only 6% of visitors with a disability are wheelchair users. By far the biggest group are people suffering long-term illness.” Heng argued the international
symbol of disability, the Blue Badge, has done “no service to people with disabilities”. He said it had made people “equate disability with wheelchair users” and led tourism operators “to think of accessibility in terms of costs”.
Martin Heng
Philippines champions Boracay as template for sustainable tourism
Philippines’ tourism chiefs hailed the closure of the country’s most- popular resort island Boracay last year, saying the six-month shutdown had become “a template” for tourism policy. President Duterte of the
He noted UK spending by
people with disabilities is estimated at £12.4 billion a year and said: “Accessible tourism shows stronger growth than tourism in general.” Heng asked: “What excuse do
operators have for not making tourism accessible? Take account not just of wheelchair users.”
Philippines ordered Boracay be closed to tourists in April last year aſter declaring the island “a cesspool”. Te island reopened in October
with restrictions on tourist numbers, hotels, restaurants and cruise ships, and curbs on all kinds of activities. Arturo Boncato Jr, undersecretary
for tourism regulation coordination at the Philippines Department of Tourism, told the Pata Summit:
“Te Philippines is entering a new era, making sustainable tourism a reality. Boracay has become a template for us. We hope to replicate what we have done.” Te shutdown “was an
opportunity to balance tourism with protecting the environment”, he said. “We have 7,000-plus islands and
we had an opportunity to divert tourists to other destinations.” He added: “We see in Boracay a
new level of awareness – to respect the carrying capacity, to comply with environmental laws, and we are looking at the type of businesses we encourage. “We want people to come but to be responsible tourists.”
Airbnb ‘backs rental regulation’ Ian Taylor
Airbnb recognises “the need for guidelines” on short-term rentals, according to co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk, who insisted the company “broadly” supports legislation of the sector. Blecharczyk, Airbnb chief strategy
officer, said: “Te sharing economy does not fit existing legislation. We recognise we need guidelines around it.” But he insisted: “Short-term rental is here to stay. We bring a lot of travellers.” He told the Pata Summit: “More
than 400 jurisdictions around the world have passed legislation [on the sector] that we are broadly supportive of.” But he added: “Local people
realise there is an opportunity and they can make some extra
travelweekly.co.uk We recognise
we need guidelines. [But] short-term rental is here to stay. We bring a lot of travellers”
money. We’ve paid out $1 billion to communities that might not normally benefit from tourism.” Asked whether Airbnb has driven
up rents in many cities, Blecharczyk said: “Airbnb started to increase affordability [of travel] and on balance we think it does. But there are challenges that come with huge popularity. Places like Barcelona and Venice are so focused on the negative impacts. Tat is why we enter into partnerships with destinations.”
He admited: “It is challenging.
We’re in 81,000 cities – that is 81,000 different sets of stakeholders. Tere are bumps. It’s all part of a process. [But] there is great consumer demand. Tat is why the likes of Marriot are interested to get into it.” Airbnb recruited senior US
aviation industry figure Fred Reid as its global head of transportation in February, triggering speculation it plans to offer flights. Blecharczyk declined to comment, saying only: “We announced we would do something in the flight space. We have not been specific about it.” He also declined to say whether
Airbnb would seek a public listing this year. But he confirmed: “We’ll be ready this year. We’re not commited to any timetable. We don’t need to raise capital.”
Nathan Blecharczyk 16 MAY 2019 95
PICTURES: Jakapan Buayam
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
