More hotels rising in Naga, preps for summer

By Armie B. Gunay NAGA CITY --- The hotel industry in this city is as promising as ever with the rise of more hotels and other accommodation establishments in the city’s expanding business and financial centers. The Naga City Arts, Culture and Tourism Office (ACTO) underscored the increase as it reported that around half of the total number of hotels operating in the city have already been accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to meet national standards. Alec Santos, ACTO chief, said the city started with 34 accommodation establishments in 2011 which now has risen to 8o, or an increase of more than 50% in six years. Among the newly accredited hotels are the CBD Plaza Hotel, Crown Hotel, The Carmen Hotel, Robinsons Hotel, and the soon to be completed Summit Hotel and Go Hotel of the Robinson landholdings. Reports from the DOT cited Naga City as having the most number of accredited hotels in the entire Bicol region— an indicator of economic dynamism that continues to attract visitors and investors who require comfortable and excellent quality of service while staying in a place “away from home.” The Inter-Agency Joint Inspection Team dubbed as the Task Force Tourism started in 2012 is one of the city government’s mechanisms that ensure quality of service being delivered by private establishments for their clients. With the summer season approaching in less than three months from now, ACTO is currently preparing for the influx of visitors and tourists, with stakeholders being invited to attend trainings, such as water safety and basic life support for the tourist guides and lifeguards, among others, for the benefot of guests and visitors. ACTO also intensifies campaign against abusive public transport drivers and operators as they are one of the sectors that greatly impact tourists’ impressions of the city. Other concerns include the creation of alternate routes to various tourist destinations and the establishment of a tourism center to guide visitors, especially lone travelers. The museums in the city have also been added as preferred destinations for tourists. With 10% rise in the number of tourist arrivals in 2017 from the 1.21 million in 2016, ACTO expects more tourists to come to the city in the following summer months and up to September.