Tourism chief: PH registers 1.8M tourist arrivals in Q1

ENTICING PHILIPPINES: Tourists enjoy a kayak ride in the calm waters of Honda Bay in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan province. FILE PHOTO/ EV ESPIRITU / INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON

The Department of Tourism has said nearly 1.8 million foreign travelers flocked to the Philippines in the first quarter of this year, with the agency optimistic that more would come following the government’s massive investments in infrastructure, aggressive marketing efforts, the expansion of airline routes and lower crime rates.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo brushed aside concerns about DOT not meeting its tourism arrival targets following travel advisories caused by the robbery-arson incident at Resorts World Manila and the attacks of the Maute group in Marawi City that prompted President Duterte to declare martial law in Mindanao.

“There will always been travel advisories following incidents like these. But the tourists will come back eventually, they will rebook,” Teo told reporters in a press conference last week.

“The Philippines is too enticing a destination to keep people away. People will still come,” she added.

In a statement, Teo said Philippines remains a “perennial destination for” tourists, with international arrivals breaching the million mark as early as February of this year.

“A total of 1,784,882 visitors have come to the country in the first three months as we continue with our efforts to increase the country’s capacity under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2017-2022,” the Secretary said.

Nearly half of the tourists came from South Korea, with the rest coming from the United States, China, Japan and Australia.

According to the DOT, about 98 percent of foreign tourists arrive by air and the expansion of air travel routes will result in higher volume of travelers. There were around 787,000 international airline seats added in the first quarter, mostly from direct flights to the country’s secondary airports such as Chongqing, Wuhan and Chengdu to Cebu, and Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Jeju to Kalibo.

Teo said investments in infrastructure and the expansion of air routes will also increase tourist travel this year.

She also said that of the government’s allocation of P677-billion for the medium-term Tourism Infrastructure Program, a total of P184.5 billion will be spent on tourism roads under a “convergence program” with the Department of Public Works and Highways to improve land-based travel.

About P324 billion has been earmarked for the development and improvement of air and sea ports and railway systems, under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) convergence program. Teo said the DOT also has approved plans to renovate Davao, Laguindingan, New Bohol (Panglao), Bacolod and Iloilo airports this year.

The DOT’s infrastructure arm, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza), on the other hand, will allot P167 billion for site infrastructure and the development of tourism enterprise zones.

“As an archipelagic country, it is paramount for us to ensure that the infrastructures to receive foreign travelers flying in are adequate and of world-class quality,” Teo said.

The DOT will also be giving focus to cruise tourism, and has already crafted a National Cruise Tourism Strategic Plan, which calls for the development of cruise facilities and improvement of ports, she said.

Teo also said the 30-percent drop in the number of crimes committed during the first nine months of the Duterte administration, would also contribute to improve the country’s image overseas as a safe place for tourists./ac