Gordon invited to visit Mauritius

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon has received an invitation from Republic of Mauritius Prime Minister Navichandra Ramgoolam to visit the country and share his expertise in the tourism industry.

Gordon got the invitation after his speech at the recently-concluded Global Indian Diaspora Conference (GIDC) held at the Suntec City Convention Centre, Singapore, where Ramgoolam was present.

"I am much grateful that Prime Minister Ramgoolam has invited me to visit his country and exchange notes on tourism. I am honored by the invitation and have a country's leader appreciate my expertise on tourism," he said.

During his well-applauded speech at the said conference, Gordon talked about how international tourism industry can cope up with the present global financial crisis that is slowing down other economies across the world.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate committee on tourism, relayed his experience in developing Subic and reinvigorating the country's tourism industry as he emphasized the need to boost domestic tourism to ward off the impact of the current worldwide economic crisis.

"Because of the global financial crisis, international travels would obviously be minimized. It is a great opportunity to boost local tourism and encourage the industry to be bullish with their promotions of domestic tourism," he said.

When he was mayor of Olongapo City, Gordon turned Subic, a former US military base facility, into a world-class commercial zone after American troops abruptly left the country in 1991.

Subic is now one of the country's major economic zones and most popular destinations for local and foreign visitors. Its attractions include several beaches, an underwater aquarium, jungle survival tours, racing and duty-free shops.

As tourism secretary from 2001 to 2004, Gordon launched the "WOW Philippines! More than the usual!" campaign, which he used to transform the country's tourism industry, then plagued by a negative image of kidnappings and SARS disease and complicated by an era of continued threat of terrorism.

Ramgoolam, who was the GIDC's chief guest for the business session on tourism and hospitality, was impressed with Gordon's accomplishments in the tourism field that he invited the senator to visit Mauritius and exchange notes with him.

Mauritius is a country in Africa that is rich in white beaches protected by coral reefs, which makes it a marvellous tourist destination. Its tourist arrivals for this year's first semester grew by 5.5% from 432,113 in January-June 2007 to 455,758 for the same period in 2008.