ILOILO CITY—Tourism officials are expecting an increase in Chinese visitors to destinations in the Western Visayas region following the move of the Chinese government to lift a travel advisory on its citizens visiting the Philippines.
“China is a big tourism market for us and we expect more tourists from China to come here,” said Gilbert Marin, Iloilo provincial tourism officer.
Marin said more tourist sites are being readied for Chinese tourists as direct flights from China and Iloilo are being worked out by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
China lifted the two-year travel warning after a recent state visit of President Duterte where major economic deals were signed. The warning was issued in 2014 after the arrest of three men allegedly planning to bomb the Chinese embassy in Manila.
Next to Koreans, Chinese tourists comprise the bulk of visitors in Western Visayas, especially on Boracay Island in Aklan province.
Helen Catalbas, DOT director in Western Visayas, said more than 100,000 tourists visited the region yearly in the past three years.
Drop in arrivals
In 2013, 205,613 Chinese tourists visited the region but this dropped to 170,172 in 2014, primarily due to the travel advisories. Tourist arrivals from China rose to 184,598 in 2015, Catalbas said.
Direct flights from Kalibo International Airport in Aklan to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chingdu, Beijing, Changsa and Chongqing, provided by Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia, have helped boost tourism arrival in the region.
Catalbas said Chinese tour agents have also been conducting familiarization tours in Western Visayas for tour packages catering to Chinese tourists.
In September, more than 2,000 Chinese tourists on a chartered cruise ship visited Boracay.
Marin said they are identifying and preparing tourist destinations two to four hours from Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan town that can be included in side trips for Chinese tourists arriving in Iloilo.