Council to Baguio Tourism execs: Up drive vs scammers

BAGUIO CITY – The City Council urged the tourism and Special Events Division under the City Administrators’ Office to intensify its campaign against alleged scammers victimizing tourists in the city with their fraudulent bookings and tour packages.
    The Council said this was detrimental to the city’s robust tourism industry.
    Under resolution 491, series of 2023, the Council said numerous fraudulent practices of alleged scammers and unscrupulous enterprising individuals greatly affected image of the city as a premier tourist destination that needed to be checked through measures to guide and assist tourists and guarantee them good experience worthy of enticing more guests and visitors to come to the city and enjoy its sceneries among others.

    Baguio is swarmed by foreign and domestic tourists, especially during the summer season and conduct of major crowd drawing events, because of its temprat6e weather and as the Summer Capital of the country.
    The Council said an essential part of hosting visitors is availability of inns, hotels, guest accommodation centers and decent transient houses.
    The body said maximizing technology, online business transactions are now the latest trend, meant to lessen problems of the client and service provider.
    Earlier, a number of tourists filed complaints and lamented their  experiences against unscrupulous enterprising individuals offering fake accommodations and posing as owners of establishments or even residential houses.
    Upon arrival in the city, the tourists allegedly experienced being duped after discovering that their advance booking for a place of stay and after paying the required reservation or advance payment were non-existent in the city.
    Copies of the approved resolution will be transmitted to the concerned offices for their information, guidance, ready reference and further needed action.