APPI is based in the Philippines and was incorporated in 1992 but its principals and associates have over 50 years of combined expertise in the tourism and hospitality industry. Projects successfully completed have taken our experts all over the Asia-Pacific region: to the glaciers of the Himalayas; the stone forests of Yunnan; the mysterious Mekong River region; and the Tiger forests of Far East Russia and Uttarakhand in India.
In 2001 we completed a project to help Iran unveil its ancient, glorious past that few world travelers have seen and we are involved in a long-term project to assist India make its magnificent monuments in hard-to-reach, rural areas more accessible to tourists. By this we refer to very basic but important, taken-for-granted essential infrastructure like paved roads linking local communities to tourism income opportunities; visitors’ centers; and sanitation facilities.
APPI’s range of experiences works hand-in-hand with a specific mission: to promote tourism development that is environmentally, socially, and culturally sustainable. The firm’s experts make sure the components of any big Master Plan or small stand-alone development contributes to poverty reduction and the creation of social wealth, in that the poorest fishermen, farmers, or village women are able to benefit from tourist improvement and developments, either from the social infrastructures built; direct and indirect employment created; or through livelihood projects.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Long-term Strategy Formulation
We take a long-term view when planning strategies and incorporating policies. This can be of a regional scale, such as the 10-year Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Tourism Sector Strategy, a project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). We have done Tourism Master Plans for countries, such as the Philippines, Islamic Republic of Iran and more recently, India. We have also designed major multi-country tourism infrastructure loan projects such as the ADB GMS Sustainable Tourism Development Project.
The Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Sector Strategy
Many state or provincial-level comprehensive tourism Master Plans have also been crafted by us, such as for the Provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan in China.
At the local government level, APPI has crafted smaller-scale Master Plans such as the AusAid-funded Tourism Strategy and Action Plan for the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras Region, Central Philippines.
Business Development
APPI studies the market in-depth and advises clients where to invest their money in the tourism sector, to ensure a Return on Investments. Our experts have advised real estate developers that are considering investing in tourism infrastructure, city hotels, theme attractions, and integrated resorts.
Project Feasibility and Market Studies
A feasibility study is always the first step towards any business undertaking. It is a powerful tool or instrument to model the likely performance of a tourism project before it is developed. It highlights the major demand, supply, operational, and financial assumptions being used; the risks associated with these assumptions; and provides the foundation for the formulation of the business and marketing plan for the project.
The foundation of a good project feasibility study is a well-framed market research study. However, tourism market studies are also undertaken as stand-alone projects as inputs to the formulation of strategic, development, and marketing plans of destinations as well as tourism organizations.
Successful hotel feasibility studies conducted were for the Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City; the two Waterfront Casino Hotels in Mactan and Cebu City, and the Lagen Island Resort, Northern Palawan, Philippines.
APPI was commissioned to study the potential markets and growth opportunities for tourism to South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Lao PDR from various source markets in East and Southeast Asia and Australia. In these studies, APPI conducted surveys of travel agents, tour operators and other key informants in the markets. Based on the surveys, APPI identified and analysed the marketing and tourism development opportunities for each country. These studies were subsequently incorporated into broader tourism development plans of the aforementioned countries.
Tourism Destination Project Development Advisory Services
The successful development of large-scale tourism projects such as destination resorts, theme attractions, tourism shopping, gaming, and entertainment hubs, is a complex management process. Organizations undertaking these types of projects have a clear understanding of the development objectives, the development functions, and the technical and financial resources needed for success. APPI provides advisory services to help such organizations develop the management insight and capacity needed to deliver a successful project to the market.
Ecotourism Destination Planning
Ecotourism is a special kind of tourism and requires special planning skills and approaches. Such planning aims to meet the needs of tourists who are primarily interested in appreciating nature and traditional cultures. Thus, this specialty requires the planner to create benefits to local communities and help protect fragile natural resources and the biodiversity of a destination. Ecotourism planning usually focuses on specific sites such as a protected area and its buffer zones, where community participation and sense of ownership are critical success factors.
The Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Sector Strategy, a project of the Asian Development Bank, is one such big-scale and important project where APPI looked into the needs and cultural heritage of six countries which the mighty Mekong River flows through: Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
The ecotourism potentials of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) have been identified in preparation for the development of pilot projects using a community-based approach to ecotourism development. This project has been initiated by the Asian Development Bank.
