The promises of Philippine maritime industry

The potential residing in Philippine maritime industries has a turnover in sustainable tourism.
During the Sea Ex 2016, the annual Philippine boat show and nautical conference, all speakers agreed that the Philippines has great promise on sea-oriented businesses, although it is not yet being capitalized. The three-day international event featured more than 40 exhibitors among boatbuilders, maintenance services, sports equipment, diving apparel and resorts.
The President of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Guenter Taus, expects a growth on local coastal tourism.“We certainly see increasing number of tourist arrivals, increasing number of dive sites being carried out in the Philippines. By all means, we are finally seeing a tourism industry that starts blooming,” Taus said. “We have so much natural beauty, so it is really time to get started and bring tourists in here to have means of livelihood for Filipinos that live outside Metro Manila and are in the coastal areas.”
“What made me move the business to the Philippines was the potential for boating. The maritime industry is definitely growing. It is growing slowly but it will expand significantly once we have more infrastructures. That means more mariners and more places to put your boats,” Thomas Cachera from Europa Yachts Philippines Inc. said. “The Philippines is a fantastic playground for the boating industry with 7000 plus islands. Definitely, we have strong potential, it just needs more investment from the government and awareness from the public.”Europa Yachts Philippines Inc. represents three of the biggest boat manufacturers in the world, exclusively dealing yachts from Azimut, Lagoon and Beneteau.
Portulano Resort Managing Director Carmela Sevilla believes that many opportunities await the boating industry with the expected influx of tourists looking for more environment-friendly alternatives for their vacations.
The renowned architecture studio Palafox Associates Philippines also presented at the expo the advantages and importance of developing waterfronts: coastal areas could, if further developed, act as buffers in cases of typhoons and storm surges. Waterways such as the rivers of Pasig and San Juan could be able to connect urban centres and to create a new sustainable means of transport in the country.