Tourist inflows seen to swell 15%

MANILA, Philippines - Tourist inflows to various destinations in the Philippines is forecast to expand 15 percent this year, to finally break the 10-million mark, Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said.

“The Department of Tourism (DOT) foresees the coordinated and integrated efforts of the government and the private sector to expand current capacity, increase tourist demand, enhance tourism revenues, and create more employment opportunities in tourist destinations,” Durano said in his yearend report.

Last year, Cebu remained the top destination with tourist traffic increasing 1.2 percent to 1.61 million. South Korea remained the top tourist market in the area, accounting for a 29 percent share of total foreign tourists.

Notably, Chinese tourists to Cebu grew a substantial 70 percent as more charter flights were launched between Cebu and Shanghai, as well as Guangzhou. A hefty growth in tourists from Kuwait was also recorded as students from the Middle East market streamed to Cebu for short educational programs.

New investments worth P36.3 billion were likewise initiated involving 28 new tourism-related projects, with a potential of employing at least 15,600 individuals.

Aside from Cebu, the other leading tourism destinations last year were Camarines Sur, Metro Manila, Baguio City, Davao City, Boracay Island, Cagayan de Oro, Zambales, Bohol, Puerto Princesa City, Camiguin, Cagayan Valley, Negros Oriental and Ilocos Norte.

Camarines registered a remarkable growth rate of 117.25 percent, rising to become the second leading tourist destination in 2009 from fourth in 2008.

Durano’s report said international and local events such as the First Aqua Fest Celebrity Challenge, Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, International Dragon Boat Competition and Bagasbas Summer Surf, boosted domestic visitors to Camarines Sur by 140 percent to 1.3 million, while foreign tourists went up by 56 percent.

Other top tourist market were Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Meanwhile, the bulk of new investments were in the tourism economic zones amounting to P29 billion. These include the Eagle Entertainment City, Bagong Nayong Pilipino Entertainment City, Embarcadero de Legaspi, Akean Resorts and Ilawod Estate Tourism Economic Zone.

Additional investment in the hotel and accommodation sector with a total cost of P5.4 billion is projected to employ 2,722 people. These include the Remington Hotel (1,000 rooms) and Microtel Inns and Suites (150 rooms) in Manila, Sheridan Beach Resort (96 rooms) in Puerto Princesa City, Highlander Hotel (76 rooms) in Nueva Vizcaya and Green Canyon EcoPark (75 rooms) in Tarlac.

The airline sector responded to the growth in the tourism sector as Cebu Pacific, Zest Airways and Seaair poured investments to acquire new aircraft to cope with the demand for increased air travel. Total investments of these airlines were valued at P15.9 billion.

In addition, 20 cruise ships docked in Manila for 2009. Arrivals from these cruise ships posted a 2.24-percent increase from 17,516 passenger-tourists in 2008 to 17,908 passenger-arrivals with most visitors taking the tours in Intramuros, Manila and Tagaytay.