Baguio cracks down on illegal accommodations
>> Sunday, November 8, 2020
By Gaby B.
Keith
BAGUIO CITY -- This Summer Capital’s tourism industry
stakeholders urged the public to report to concerned authorities operation of
illegal accommodation establishments in villages that might compromise the
city’s efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Participation of the public in the campaign to convince tourists to book their accommodations in registered and accredited tourism establishments came after the hotel sector of the Baguio Tourism Council (BTC) raised the issue about tourists making it appear that they will be living with their friends and relatives when visiting the city when, in fact, they will be staying in unregistered and unaccredited accommodations to save on cost.
Anthony de Leon, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) and general manager of the Baguio Country Club (BCC), reported numerous instances when tourists, visiting the city before the health pandemic, declared they will be staying with their friends and relatives when, in fact, they had been staying in low-cost establishments that were not even issued city permits to operate.
However, Supervising City Tourism Operations Officer Aloysius Mapalo said the list of accredited tourism establishments and those that had been issued by the city government with certificates of compliance that are awaiting accreditation with the regional tourism department have been included in the city’s online registration platform for tourists, visita.baguio.gov.ph, where tourists could select the hotel to book their accommodation when visiting the city for safety and security reasons.
He said since the city launched the online registration platform and had called on tourists to book their accommodation in accredited establishments, there had been a significant increase in the number of transient houses that have sought registration and accreditation with the city government and concerned government agencies.
He said what needs to be done is to compel the unregistered and unaccredited lodging establishments to apply for issuance of certificate of compliance from the city before seeking the issuance of the required accreditation with the tourism department in order that their lodging facilities will be included in the list and included in the online registration platform.
Mapalo added the city government is campaigning for booking of accommodation by prospective tourists, registering online to select where to stay from the list of accredited establishments when spending their stay in Baguio as the city is now open for domestic visitors from the different parts of Luzon.
Participation of the public in the campaign to convince tourists to book their accommodations in registered and accredited tourism establishments came after the hotel sector of the Baguio Tourism Council (BTC) raised the issue about tourists making it appear that they will be living with their friends and relatives when visiting the city when, in fact, they will be staying in unregistered and unaccredited accommodations to save on cost.
Anthony de Leon, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) and general manager of the Baguio Country Club (BCC), reported numerous instances when tourists, visiting the city before the health pandemic, declared they will be staying with their friends and relatives when, in fact, they had been staying in low-cost establishments that were not even issued city permits to operate.
However, Supervising City Tourism Operations Officer Aloysius Mapalo said the list of accredited tourism establishments and those that had been issued by the city government with certificates of compliance that are awaiting accreditation with the regional tourism department have been included in the city’s online registration platform for tourists, visita.baguio.gov.ph, where tourists could select the hotel to book their accommodation when visiting the city for safety and security reasons.
He said since the city launched the online registration platform and had called on tourists to book their accommodation in accredited establishments, there had been a significant increase in the number of transient houses that have sought registration and accreditation with the city government and concerned government agencies.
He said what needs to be done is to compel the unregistered and unaccredited lodging establishments to apply for issuance of certificate of compliance from the city before seeking the issuance of the required accreditation with the tourism department in order that their lodging facilities will be included in the list and included in the online registration platform.
Mapalo added the city government is campaigning for booking of accommodation by prospective tourists, registering online to select where to stay from the list of accredited establishments when spending their stay in Baguio as the city is now open for domestic visitors from the different parts of Luzon.
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