THE numbers are not yet in but authorities said the damages brought by typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) would have a “serious” impact on the country’s economy already reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic.
National Economic Development Authority-10 Director Mylah Faye Aurora Cariño said the country’s economic managers have deployed teams to the areas badly affected by typhoon Odette to assess the damages.
Cariño said many areas impacted by the typhoon are major tourism earners like Cebu, Bohol, and Siargao Island.
“The numbers are not in yet but judging from news reports, it will take huge investments and time for these areas to recover,” she said.
The Department of Tourism in its 2020 report said Cebu and Bohol are top tourist destinations in the country while Siargao Island has become famous among the young travelers.
The report said the country earned US $9.31 billion in 2019 but crashed by 82.1 percent in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
CNNGo, a travel site for CNN International, had recently named Siargao’s Cloud 9 as top eight among the world’s best-surfing spots.
Surigao del Norte Gov. Francisco Matugas estimated that the damage to Siargao Island at P20 billion.
Matugas said Siargao’s famous boardwalk was swept away by Odette’s category four winds and waves.
