Tourist arrivals up 2.9 % in Sept

Things are looking a bit bullish for the tourism industry.

Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon announced yesterday that tourist arrivals in September increased by 2.9 percent, five months after a slump triggered by the scare over the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Gordon said there was a similar uptrend in most Asia-Pacific countries but that the Philippines fared much better than its neighbors.

"When SARS hit Asia, over four million jobs were lost and the travel industry recorded $14 billion in losses," he said.

Last month, he said the country had a total of 1.27 million foreign visitors, up by 36,000 compared to the same period last year.

"The prospects for growth are improving," he said. — Mayen Jaymalin