CEBU CITY – The Chinese Consulate General in Cebu has appealed to local governments not to ban Chinese tourists following the outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus.
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella previously said that he is ready to impose a ban on Chinese tourists after a five-year Wuhan boy who arrived here and was quarantined in a local hospital, but later on found negative for the coronavirus.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan also said that he is contemplating on temporarily banning the entry of Chinese tourists following reports of suspected cases of flu-like symptoms monitored by health authorities.
Consul Jia Li said there is no need to ban their nationals, stressing that their government has issued a policy prohibiting their citizens from traveling abroad. “Many places around the world like US, Germany and Japan have confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV, but their governments have not issued advisory to ban Chinese nationals,” he said.
But Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said Chinese tourists traveling to Cebu should not be banned. She said Chinese tourist arrivals should only be placed under quarantine. “It should not be us against them, but we are fighting against this virus,” she said.
All commercial jet flights from Cebu to Wuhan had been temporarily cancelled by the Civil Aviation Board for fear the virus would spread here.
Because of the Wuhan coronavirus scare, Li already noted a drop in the arrival of Chinese tourists here following Beijing’s ban on all group tours abroad. He said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued an advisory on January 27 informing travel agencies in China to cancel all group tours abroad.
He said many Chinese have cancelled their trips abroad after being told to stay home, avoid parties, gathering, and travel in the light of the national emergency due to 2019-nCoV (novel corona virus) outbreak.
“Many Chinese cancelled their hotel reservations and airline ticket bookings, even without minding the refund of their payment, stressing that they feel healthy and their lives are more important than money. It is the nature of the Chinese that during difficult times, they prefer to stay home and spend time with the family and take care of each other rather than going elsewhere,” Li said.
Cebu is one of the favorite destinations of Chinese tourists, noting that of the 1.3 million visitors from mainland China who visited the Philippines in 2018, around half or 630,000 went to this province and in 2019, over 700,000 had visited the province, according to Li, adding, “the Chinese tourists visit Cebu for its beaches, food, rich history and heritage, and the people.”
President Xi Jinping said China has full confidence and capability to win the battle against the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus. The Chinese people are now fighting a very serious battle against the epidemic, said Xi, adding that the people's safety and health always come first, and thus the prevention and control of the outbreak is the country's most important work for now.
He said the comprehensive deployment has been made for the containment and mitigation of the epidemic, and a central leading group on battling the virus was established. "The epidemic is a devil. We will not let it hide," said Xi.
Chinese government has released information about the epidemic in a timely, open, transparent and responsible manner, responded to concerns of all sides actively, and enhanced cooperation with the international community, according to Xi. (John Rey Saavedra)
Like Us on Facebook: The Mindanao Examiner
Like Us on Facebook: The Zamboanga Post
Follow Us on Twitter: Mindanao Examine
Mirror Site: Mindanao Examiner Blog
Digital Archives: Mindanao Examiner Digital
Media Rates: Advertising Rates
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella previously said that he is ready to impose a ban on Chinese tourists after a five-year Wuhan boy who arrived here and was quarantined in a local hospital, but later on found negative for the coronavirus.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan also said that he is contemplating on temporarily banning the entry of Chinese tourists following reports of suspected cases of flu-like symptoms monitored by health authorities.
Consul Jia Li said there is no need to ban their nationals, stressing that their government has issued a policy prohibiting their citizens from traveling abroad. “Many places around the world like US, Germany and Japan have confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV, but their governments have not issued advisory to ban Chinese nationals,” he said.
Chinese Consul Jia Li meets with Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to discuss the outbreak of Wuhan coronavirus. (Provincial Government photo)
But Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said Chinese tourists traveling to Cebu should not be banned. She said Chinese tourist arrivals should only be placed under quarantine. “It should not be us against them, but we are fighting against this virus,” she said.
All commercial jet flights from Cebu to Wuhan had been temporarily cancelled by the Civil Aviation Board for fear the virus would spread here.
Because of the Wuhan coronavirus scare, Li already noted a drop in the arrival of Chinese tourists here following Beijing’s ban on all group tours abroad. He said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued an advisory on January 27 informing travel agencies in China to cancel all group tours abroad.
He said many Chinese have cancelled their trips abroad after being told to stay home, avoid parties, gathering, and travel in the light of the national emergency due to 2019-nCoV (novel corona virus) outbreak.
“Many Chinese cancelled their hotel reservations and airline ticket bookings, even without minding the refund of their payment, stressing that they feel healthy and their lives are more important than money. It is the nature of the Chinese that during difficult times, they prefer to stay home and spend time with the family and take care of each other rather than going elsewhere,” Li said.
Cebu is one of the favorite destinations of Chinese tourists, noting that of the 1.3 million visitors from mainland China who visited the Philippines in 2018, around half or 630,000 went to this province and in 2019, over 700,000 had visited the province, according to Li, adding, “the Chinese tourists visit Cebu for its beaches, food, rich history and heritage, and the people.”
President Xi Jinping said China has full confidence and capability to win the battle against the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus. The Chinese people are now fighting a very serious battle against the epidemic, said Xi, adding that the people's safety and health always come first, and thus the prevention and control of the outbreak is the country's most important work for now.
He said the comprehensive deployment has been made for the containment and mitigation of the epidemic, and a central leading group on battling the virus was established. "The epidemic is a devil. We will not let it hide," said Xi.
Chinese government has released information about the epidemic in a timely, open, transparent and responsible manner, responded to concerns of all sides actively, and enhanced cooperation with the international community, according to Xi. (John Rey Saavedra)
Like Us on Facebook: The Mindanao Examiner
Like Us on Facebook: The Zamboanga Post
Follow Us on Twitter: Mindanao Examine
Mirror Site: Mindanao Examiner Blog
Digital Archives: Mindanao Examiner Digital
Media Rates: Advertising Rates
No comments:
Post a Comment