WELCOME TO BORACAY MEDIA SUMMIT

(Welcome Speech delivered by Ms Loubelle B. Cann, the President fo the Boracay Foundation, Inc. during the PAPI MEDIA SUMMIT held October 29-31, 2008 at Boracay Regency Hotel, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, Philippines.)

I am pleased to be with you at this Media Summit. I appreciate the immense benefits that this conference can bring to our island and in particular, to the further developments of Philippine Tourism.

I would like to thank our hosts and co-sponsors of this conference, the Publisher’s Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI), the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA), and Aklan Press Club, Inc (APCI), for organizing the event here. This is an important gathering, a milestone in the history of our cooperation. This will be a unique opportunity for all of us to see -up close- the considerable potential of Philippine tourism.

Boracay is blessed with its natural beauty, pristine water, and powdery white sand and voted as one of the top 10 best beaches in the world. As such, it is an ideal place to discuss the relationship among economy, culture and the arts, the environment and tourism and good governance. This aptly captured by the theme: "The Expanding Frontiers of Media in the Preservation of Culture, the Promotion of Tourism, and the Protection of the Environment"

The media has a crucial role in the tourism industry and in its economic progress. Tourism is highly dependent on media. This is a fact. Why? It is in media’s reporting that travel decisions are made by people – even if these people have never seen the destination first hand for themselves. The media allows these travelers to see the place ahead of time through the write-up and broadcast. Once media presents the place in a very developmental manner, definitely tourists will be captivated to visit such places.

The relationship between tourism and the media is vital and complex. The survival and growth of our country’s tourism industry depends largely on the reporting of various issues related to the industry by members of the media community. The media has a responsible role to play, then, in covering events which can impact heavily on the livelihood of travel destinations and their local population. When there is bad news or crisis the impact on tourism can be devastating.

Hence, it is imperative that once one provides information, he must be knowledgeable about the situation from which that information came. I learned that this is what we call RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM.

Responsible journalism is what the Boracay business community hopes for. Yes, Boracay and the people hope that this kind of responsible journalism will be consistently sustained in the media industry. We can help one another in producing honest and balanced information on events and situations that could influence the development of tourism.

Allow me also to emphasize that the tourism industry does not belong to a specific place nor to a specific race. It belongs to the wider society… it is etched to become the industry that would evolve inevitably as the main force for economic growth not only in the future but NOW AND TODAY. With this I say that we all have a responsibility to understand the dynamics of the industry. Ladies and Gentlemen, is this not supposed to be one of the main challenges in this conference?

Tourism covers a whole spectrum of activities and involves a wide variety of stakeholders and policy-makers at various levels. Cooperation and synergy among people concerned is an absolute necessity, especially when the issue is how best to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of said industry.

And I say without fear of contradiction that Boracay, particularly, is a key player here because it is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Philippines. Boracay is the destination. An understatement is: Boracay only contributes 12 billion pesos annually to the national economy. To enable the island to continue to exist and to develop, we need to ensure its environmental sustainability, particularly in response to the effects of global warming and climate change. This is achieved by raising awareness and promoting better understanding on the issue of sustainable environment.

Tourism in the island has a long history and has become a growth industry. This is primarily due to the island’s natural beauty, pristine water, powdery white sand and a desirable climate. How these potentials will be used depends mainly on how our government would address the need for institutional change and the appropriate role of the private sector in the process. The partnership between government and the private sector is very important. But I think a third party should come in to make it more important. And this third party is THE MEDIA. Dear Mediamen, WELCOME TO THE NEW PARTNERSHIP.

On behalf of the Boracay Foundation, Inc. and the Boracay business community, I WELCOME YOU ALL TO OUR BEAUTIFUL ISLAND, BORACAY.