MANILA (PIA) – – Amid encompassing challenges, the Department of Tourism (DOT) remains optimistic about promoting the local opportunity markets while collaborating with neighboring countries to sustain an upward trend in international visitor arrivals this year.
In an interview with reporters, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco hinted at a tall order embarking on what she aptly described as a “moving target”—a whopping 7.7 million international tourist arrivals by the end of the year.
By her admission, Frasco took note of existing challenges facing the industry, even as she maintained that the DOT remains steadfast in its commitment to ramping up the Philippine economy via tourism.
Sought to elaborate on the issues hounding the tourism industry, Frasco admitted “geopolitics” is a matter of concern among foreign tourists, specifically the Chinese market.
“We recognize the challenges that persist, especially from the arrivals from the Chinese market, so it is a moving target, I would say, taking into account the realities that we face. Even so, we are working as hard as we can to make sure that not only on the arrivals but more importantly, on the visitor receipts, our economy continues to thrive through tourism,” Frasco was quoted as saying.
As of August 7, 2024, the government has recorded 3,622,635 arrivals, of which 3.33 million (representing 92.13 percent) are foreigners, while the remaining 286,643 (representing 7.87 percent) are overseas Filipinos.
South Korea topped the list of source markets in terms of arrivals with 960,809 (26.37 percent), followed by the United States with 590,861 (16.22 percent), China with 223,954 (6.15 percent), Japan with 221,430 (6.08 percent), and Australia with 152,835 (4.19 percent).
From January 1 to July 31, 2024, the country already earned P323.68 billion in estimated visitor receipts, which is 13.18 percent higher compared to the P285.99 billion earned in the same period of the previous year.
Frasco said the DOT is continuing its heavy promotions in top source markets to increase tourist arrivals from South Korea, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Europe.
The tourism chief also highlighted the country’s observation of its ASEAN counterparts as benchmarks for enhancing tourism, emphasizing sustainable and responsible tourism as a pivotal aspect of regional collaboration.
“We recognize our neighbors in ASEAN as models for how we can further improve Philippine tourism. We have forged engagements with our ASEAN neighbors in terms of ensuring that we are able to get a share of their tourism arrivals as well,” Frasco said.
Relatedly, the DOT has been working with Thailand on a two-countries, one-destination arrangement and coordinating with other ASEAN nations to explore initiatives like a shared visa program.
Frasco also addressed concerns about the Philippines becoming an “expensive destination” compared to its ASEAN neighbors, noting factors like high demand and limited accommodation availability. The DOT works closely with industry partners to increase room capacity and flights to improve connectivity and make prices more tourist-friendly.
Additionally, the DOT is equalizing tourism opportunities across all regions, including exploring lesser-known destinations like the Sulu archipelago and the Kalayaan Group of Islands in the West Philippine Sea. (JVD/PIA-NCR)
