Stakeholders of the country's tourism industry have been shedding blood and tears to promote the Philippines as a perfect getaway for tourists who want to enjoy tropical paradise and experience the combination of sun, sea, and sand. It seems that the efforts of the tourism players are paying off as the number of tourists coming into the country increased after the DOT managed to ward off the bad news that had been happening in Mindanao.
Suddenly, a former police officer, who was stripped of his badge and income, is staging a hostage drama that will surely hit the tourism industry straight in the eye. At least 20 Hong Kong nationals, who after reading the the travel brochures about the Philippines decided to come here for fun and leisure, are now being held hostage by the policeman inside the tourist bus infront of the Quirino Grandstand.
What a best way to promote the Philippines. In just a blink of an eye, the 'booming' tourism industry of the country is now falling into a dark pit because of the hostage taking. Covered by news agencies around the world, including CNN and BBC, the hostage drama unfolding infront of the Quirino Grandstand has once again put the Philippines back into the global map, a free advertisement for the country - but in a negative way.
Yes, authorities could say that the hostage taking is an isolated case. But a foreigner watching the news over CNN or BBC will surely have second thoughts on pushing through with traveling to the Philippines for a vacation. After all, who would want a vacation, a sight-seeing trip suddenly interrupted by a gun-toting ex policeman, who instead of jumping off a building to end his miseries, has decided to try his luck at YouTube fame. Well sir, you sure now have your 5-hour of international fame not only in YouTube but in the different TV stations worldwide as well.
UPDATE:
I should inform readers that a lot had happened after this post. For those who still didn't know, the hostage taker and eight Hong Kong tourists were killed in the hostage drama. Hong Kong continues to express its dismay over what it described as an utter lack of government intervention, which it said could have prevented the death of their nationals. President Benigno Aquino has refused to heed the call to apologize to the Hong Kong people.
