Mideastern travel agents explore PHL destinations

CEBU, Philippines - Eleven travel agents from Middle Eastern countries visited the Philippines on a three-day trip to explore more attractive destinations here, as the country slowly gains interest from travelers from the Middle East.

National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS) chairperson Angel Bugnot said that Cebu in particular is now one of the target destinations for Middle Eastern tourists, especially the Lebanese, because of beach, warm hospitality, rich history and culture, and proficiency in the English language.

The familiarization trip hosted by Etihad Airways, the flag carrier of United Arab Emirates (UAE) aims at further promoting the Philippines—as a destination of choice for the high-spender Middle Eastern market.

The group arrived on October 20, and will culminate its three-day tour today, said Bugnot.

Major resorts in Cebu hosted the accommodation and travel activities of the group, which include; Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort, Maribago Bluewater, Plantation Bay, Crimson Resort & Spa, and Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort & Spa, among others.

Bugnot said this trip indicates a promising growth for Middle Eastern arrivals to the Philippines, including Cebu that has become the preferred destination for this particular market.

Bugnot said the Middle Eastern travelers started to consider the Philippines as one of its preferred destinations in the world, after the Philippines was introduced to this market via an intense marketing blitz in 2009. Since then, arrivals to the Philippines from the Middle East (excluding OFWs) increased at an annual average rate of 20 percent.

“Etihad has always been doing a familiarization tour for travel agents in the Middle East to promote other Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and China, and we’ve been asking them to include us [Philippines] us. Once, we are included in this loop, we get a lot of opportunities—one of them is intensified promotion, and arrival growth,” she said.

Bugnot added that the recent tour was just an initial stage for the inclusion of the Philippines to Etihad’s promotional program for Asian countries.

At present, the Philippines existing market in the Middle East include; Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Bharain, Kuwait and Qatar.

Bugnot is confident that the Philippines is going to increase its arrival performance from Middle East, because of this program.

Aside from the European and Japanese market who are considered as “generally” high spender tourists, Middle Easterns also are luxurious spenders, said tourism prime mover Patria Aurora “Dawnie” Roa.

Roa said Arabs in particular are long-staying tourists, who spend at least US$100 per day, excluding accommodation expenses.

Middle Eastern visitors are considered as high-spender, who prefers to do a lot of shopping, dining, and staying in branded hotels. - THE FREEMAN