and on the other three sides; it faces the destruction caused by the recent typhoon. On the other three, it faces the remains of homes and coconut palms minced by wind into the white sand.
The hotel is the only one of 32 to escape the wrath of
Typhoon Haiyan in Santa Fe, an idyllic tourist town on Bantayan Island destroyed
by one of the world’s biggest storms.
The damage caused at this place reflects the damage to
the tourism industry in many typhoon-hit parts of the Philippines since the
category-5 super typhoon struck on Friday. Several tourists have been left stranded
for days because of the storm, which has killed thousands of people who lived
in the coastal city of Tacloban.
The scale of the storm and the destruction caused by has
been in the international headlines for many weeks, which has caused fear among
the tourists across the central Philippines and generating mass cancellations
at resorts, though the record-breaking typhoon struck only six of the country’s
7,107 islands.
The resorts placed at the chief destinations like Boracay,
Palawan, Cebu and Bohol, however, have been recording cancellation rates of 30
to 40 percent since the storm hit, said Cesar Cruz, president of the Philippine
Tour Operators Association in Manila.
Over 400 tourists from 26 countries were stranded at
Palawan alone, transforming the scuba-diving centre with its dozens of striking
islands into a horrific travel nightmare. Many were evacuated.
Anika’s owner, Nelson Yuvallos, feels that the survival
of his hotel is due to the divine’s blessings, as he “prayed like Moses” that
winds of nearly 315 km per hour (195 miles per hour) would part around it. Officials
state that the across Santa Fe, nearly 95 percent of buildings were severely
damaged.
“Tourism is the most significant thing here. It’s the only
income,” Yuvallos said. Around 4,000 tourists visit the island, just off the
northern tip of Cebu, in a regular month, peaking to 10,000 during the northern
winter, he said.
However the local tourism has been lucky enough, as the
ferries that ply across the mainland were back in operation within two days of
the storm, taking the stranded tourists with them.
“People assume that the entire Philippine is gone. The
international media has created this impression, Philippine Tourism Secretary
Ramon Jimenez told Reuters. “Actually the tourists who were meant for one place
have been taken to another destination and it has been a success.”
However, bringing them back will be some challenge.
A Squeeze on Tourism
Hotel owners have resolved to try to reconstruct by
December. As a long delay will allow tourists to opt for another palm-fringed destination.
The mayor, Jose Titing Esgana, is less optimistic.
“Reconstruction by December is a very high expectation,” he said.
Esgana stated tourism may only be able to resolve by the
time of Easters. In the meantime, over 400 people will remain unemployed.
Tourism is an increasing business in the Philippines,
where the number of visitors climbed to 4.3 million last year from 3.9 million
the year before. It generates about 5.9 percent of the fast-growing $250
billion economy.
Still No Shelter
In Sante Fe, almost all the fishing boats have been
destroyed and the chickens, which would supply the entire province with eggs, are
now being killed to feed the locals.
At least the food aid is being provided through to the
people, where till now, no shelter or reconstruction material has arrived for over
6,400 stranded families. The destruction is so severe that “the structure is
totally zero”, Esgana said. “There is nothing to reconstruct with.”
Arsolin Ofiasa is trying to reconstruct the small shack
where he lives with his pregnant wife and five of his seven children. The shack
was almost completely flattened on Friday and was saved only by a sturdy wooden
cabinet. Now, he is recovering nails form the wrecked planks of his house, in
hope to reconstruct a firmer structure into the previous place.
He claims, “All I want is to be able to rebuild a house
and live decently, and I hope for mercy for my children.”
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