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THE Philippines can expect a tourist boon from across the South
China Sea as more visitors are expected to take advantage of the
additional flights coming on line between mainland China and Taiwan
to Cebu and Kalibo.
According to the Department of Tourism (DOT) the
new flights are in anticipation of the tourist influx in the said
destinations that will last from the latter part of 2009 to the
early months of next year.
“Direct flights to their chosen destinations
are a growing demand from the Chinese market which continues to be a
stable source despite the crisis,” Tourism Secretary Ace Durano
stressed.
The said flights include Kaohsiung-Cebu charter
flight via China Airlines for five days a week; Guangzhou-Cebu,
twice weekly chartered flight, via China Southern Airlines;
Shanghai-Kalibo via Shanghai Airlines, twice weekly chartered
flight; and Hangzhou-Kalibo via Philippine Airlines, also twice
weekly.
“With help from the Civil Aeronautics Board,
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the Bureau of
Immigration, the Bureau of Customs, and our partners in the
industry, we have been aggressively pushing for these additional
seats, to accommodate the inbound Chinese tourists,” added
Durano.
The new chartered flight to Kalibo is already
fully-booked, with the first few departures including some members
of the Chinese media who have been invited by the agency for a
series of familiarization tours of the famed beach of Boracay.
Besides stimulating the market, the new air seats will allow local
travel and tour operators to tap a greater number of potential
Chinese travelers.
“We are strong on all factors that draw
Chinese tourists to a country. We have value-for-money destination
packages, pervasive Chinese influences, and visa-upon-arrival for
tourists,” said Eduardo Jarque Jr., undersecretary for Tourism
Planning and Promotions.
“We also position ourselves as a prime
destination for Chinese couples wanting to have their wedding and
honeymoon abroad,” Jarque further said. Among other things, the
Tourism department is promoting the Philippines as a shopping and
beach haven to the Chinese market.
Cebu has enjoyed the highest number of Chinese
arrivals early this year, posting a remarkable percentage of growth,
while Boracay is the most-favored destination among the beach-bound
Chinese tourists.
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Following the news of former President Corazon
Aquino’s death Foreign Office Minister of State Ivan Lewis MP has
extended the British government’s condolences to her family.
Former Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch
Brown, who worked closely with Mrs. Aquino during her election
campaign added: “I received the news of Corazon Aquino’s death
with great sadness. As an advisor in her campaign against President
Ferdinand Marcos, the privilege of working with Cory and watching
her was one of my life’s greatest lessons in courage, leadership,
the art of politics and humanity. The way she and all her family
made such friends of me as an outsider is something I have always
treasured.”
British Ambassador Peter Beckingham added: “I
had the honor and pleasure of meeting former President Aquino on
several occasions, when we were able to discuss her visits to London
and her interests in members of the Filipino community in Britain,
especially those serving in the Church.
“Those discussions left me with an
overwhelming sense of her grace, charisma and compassion. The
Philippines has lost a wonderful leader who is widely admired in
Britain for her courage and inspiration.”
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Human rights issues that dwell on the dignity of
people wherever in the world they may be is something that should
concern us all.
In this context we are pleased to announce that
nominations are now being accepted for the 2009 Human Rights
Defenders Tulip award. This award—given by the government of the
Netherlands—is an expression of appreciation intended to
acknowledge persons who have shown exceptional moral courage in
protecting and promoting the rights of fellow citizens.
Only individuals can be nominated for the award.
They should be human rights defenders who work full-time to promote
or protect human rights. They should have faced or be at risk of
facing negative personal consequences as a result of their work. The
individual nominees are activists who could benefit from the
recognition and visibility associated with winning the award.
The winner receives an official commemorative
statuette, the Human Rights Defenders Tulip, and an individual cash
award of EUR 10,000. He or she also has the opportunity to submit a
proposal for a project to the value of up to EUR 100,000, to be used
to intensify the winner’s work as a human rights defender.
Nominations must be received by August 23, 2009 at the latest. The
award will be presented by the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs on
November 9, 2009.
For more information on the Human Rights
Defenders Tulip, visit: www.humanrightstulip.org
or contact the Secretariat of the Human Rights Defenders Tulip,
Chris Collier, secretariat@humanrightstulip.org
or +31 634936026.
rjottings@yahoo.com
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