DOT eyes 100,000 tourists from Malaysia

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Tourism (DOT) is targeting at least 100,000 tourists from Malaysia this year.

The Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that the DOT recently held a successful marketing roadshow in Penang and Kuala Lumpur to promote Philippine tourist spots to Malaysian travelers.

Director Ma. Corazon Jorda-Apo, DOT’s group head for North America and Asia Pacific, led a group of 15 Filipino private sector representatives from Cebu Pacific, Pan Pacific Travel Corp., Resorts World Manila, and Marco Polo Hotel in Cebu that met with 50 travel agents from Penang and 70 travel agents in Kuala Lumpur.

The roadshow in Penang was held at the Hotel Royal while the Kuala Lumpur leg was held at the Berjaya Hotel Times Square.

Jorda-Apo said that the Philippines aims to attract around 100,000 Malaysian tourists by the end of this year.

She said 91,752 Malaysian tourists visited the Philippines in 2011, an increase of 15.13 percent from the 2010 record.

She reported the success of the DOT’s current marketing strategy “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

She said the active Filipino online community and the ingenious appeal to the Filipino’s innate humor and sense of fun have contributed to the success of the DOT marketing roadshow.

Charge d’Affaires Renato Villa, Second Secretary Gonaranao Musor and Trade Assistant Brigida Quero Lee represented the Philippine embassy during the roadshow.

Villa said there was an increase in interest from Malaysians and other foreigners, particularly businessmen that usually combine their business and pleasure trips to the Philippines.

He also recognized the potential of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Filipino organizations and Filipinos married to foreign nationals as unofficial ambassadors of tourism in their respective host countries.

Villa proposed the development of halal food tourism and Christian pilgrimage tour packages.

Halal food tourism is very important to attract more Muslim tourists, not just from Malaysia but from other regions such as the Middle East.

Filipino traders should establish more halal food outlets in the Philippines, a concern raised by Muslim tourists who have visited the country.

Christian pilgrimage tours is one way of capitalizing on the Philippines being the only predominantly Catholic country in Asia, as well as its many centuries-old churches, some of which have been certified as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites.