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BY Katrice R. Jalbuena Reporter
The number of tourists visiting
the Philippines breached the three-million mark in 2007, with
spending by foreign tourists reaching almost P5 billion for various
services and products.
In 2005, arrivals hit 2.62
million and climbed to 2.84 million in 2006. Last year, tourist
arrivals hit 3.09 million, the highest in the country’s history.
“The year 2007 was a year of
breakthroughs for the tourism industry in the Philippines. For the
first time ever, foreign arrivals in the country breached the
three-millionth mark in 2007,” said Secretary of Tourism Joseph
“Ace” Durano.
Tourist expenditures reached
$4.885 billion in 2007, surpassing the $3.782-billion target.
The largest group of foreigners
coming to the Philippines are Koreans with 653,310 arrivals or 21.1
percent. This was followed by the Americans with 578,983 or 18.7
percent; the Japanese with 395,012 or 12.8 percent; the Chinese with
157,601 or 5.1 percent; and Australians with 112,466 or 3.6 percent.
“The Department of Tourism’s
ultimate goal is to attract not only more tourists, but also
higher-value visitors who stay longer and spend more,” Durano
said.
As part of this strategy, the
Tourism department has been pushing projects to maximize the value
of the travel sector by improving existing infrastructure and
resources catering to tourists.
“We have to make sure that they
can reach that destination and when they are there, they can be
accommodated. This means improving or developing facilities,”
Durano said.
It was also observed that
tourists come to the country for varied reasons. Besides beachgoers,
golfers, divers and honeymooners, tourists are also coming to the
country for shopping, medical tourism and even learning English.
Upgrading of
tourist facilities
Currently, several domestic and
foreign investors are working with the Tourism department on
projects in key tourist destinations such as Cebu, Boracay, Negros
Occidental, Bicol and Palawan.
Provincial airports, such as
those in Kalibo, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa and Bacolod are being
upgraded to receive international flights. Projects are also
underway to improve and develop more tourism destinations such as
Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Bohol and Bicol.
“We have many meetings with
local governments who hope to also become tourist destinations. I
always tell them, if they build the infrastructure, we will help
create a demand,” Durano said.
For 2008, the Tourism department
is targeting $5 to $8 billion in tourist spending, or more than the
2010 target of $5 billion.
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