Online travel company sees robust tourism business in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Travelmob, an online marketplace offering accommodations in Asia Pacific is upbeat on the growth of its business in the Philippines given the government’s strong tourism push.

In a briefing, Travelmob co-founder and chief executive officer Turochas Fuad said he expects the firm’s business here to grow as the government is actively promoting the country as a tourist destination.

“We expect our listings to double in size as it is complemented by the tourism focus of the Philippines,” he said.

He said listings of accommodations in the Philippines are currently in the hundreds.

“We are committed to promoting Asia Pacific destinations, including the Philippines, to travelers around the world. In fact, the Philippines ranks third in Southeast Asia, in terms of popular destinations on Travelmob,” he said.

Travelmob which was launched last year, provides a secure platform for property in Asia Pacific to list accommodations and host global travelers seeking to experience true local hospitality and culture.

For every transaction made through the website, Travelmob gets a commission from the guest and the host.

Fuad said that while he expects an increase in listings of accommodations in the Philippines, he said the online platform is also after ensuring that those being offered on the website are of good quality.

“We have a team of members. When we get listings, we validate them,” he said.

He said they also have a team composed of representatives from countries in the Asia Pacific handling queries and other concerns of customers.

Tourism is being pushed by the Philippine government as it is considered as one of the pillars of the country’s economic growth.

Foreign tourist arrivals in the country reached 4.273 million last year, 9.07 percent higher than in 2011.

By 2016, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is aiming to attract 10 million foreign visitors to the country.

For domestic travel, the DOT wants the number of tourists traveling within the country to reach 44 million by 2016.

Last year, the number of domestic tourists reached 37.5 million.