Chinese tourist arrivals on upswing

MANILA, Philippines - Despite the global economic crisis, more Chinese tourists arrived in the country in the first month of the year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano cited a partial report showing that the number of tourists from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan went up sharply compared to the same period last year.

“Tourists from Hong Kong posted a growth of 100.3 percent, while Chinese tourists went up by 65.8 percent and Taiwanese by 31.1 percent in January,” he said.

Durano said the DOT programs implemented as early as November for the Chinese New Year this year have greatly boosted the arrivals in January.

“We are also beginning to see a shift in trends and preferences of the Chinese market with their diversified choices of destinations and tourist products,” he added.

Last year, the DOT and the Chinese air transportation sector worked out the opening of new chartered flights from Shanghai and Nanning to Cebu, Guangzhou to Clark, and Nanning and Kunming to Manila.

The Taiwanese market, on the other hand, posted double-digit growth with the launch of chartered flights for Taipei-Kalibo and Cebu and Kaoshiung-Cebu by Mandarin Airlines.

Mandarin Airlines’ regular charter flights between Taipei and Kalibo have also significantly hauled Taiwanese visitors to Panay island. 

These additional flights further served to accommodate the huge inbound traffic during the Chinese New Year celebration.  

Aside from Cebu, Clark has established itself as a major hub as it opened chartered Beijing-Clark fights through China Southern Airlines.

The Hong Kong market has also expanded its travel prospects to include Cebu and Boracay, with a substantial upsurge of Hong Kong tourists seen on these islands.

Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. attributed the increase in arrivals to three travel considerations of the Chinese market — cost, Chinese-friendly culture, and visa processing.

“We are strong on all three factors. We have value-for-money destination packages, pervasive Chinese influences, and visa-upon-arrival for tourists,” Jarque said.

DOT’s participation in major travel trade expositions such as the Taiwan International Travel Fair, Macau Heritage Fair and China Dive Exhibition has also expanded the target of the tourism department to include divers and heritage site enthusiasts, he said.  

Meanwhile, Durano projected more jobs to be created by the tourism industry this year with the scheduled completion of additional tourism facilities.

Durano said the DOT endorsed a total of 44 projects between 2003 and 2006, costing a total P25.7 billion, and when completed, would supply 5,780 more rooms.

“There are exciting developments in the industry, and a major factor of this is the amount of tourism investments we have been watching since 2006. This year, as more establishments open, the economic climate is set to an unexpected momentum amid global challenges,” he said.

For one, the Imperial Palace in Cebu, which was just officially turned over as a tourism economic zone, is set to open in April. 

The DOT continues to encourage investments in tourism estates, historical and cultural heritage projects, and ecotourism and agri-tourism ventures.