RP to ease issuance of visas to Indians

The Philippine government, through the Department of Tourism (DOT) is now working on easier visa application for Indian nationals who want to visit the Philippines.

In an interview with Tourism undersecretary Phineas A. Alburo, he said the Philippines recognized the potential of fast growing middle class Indians as huge tourism market for the Philippines.

However, he said the Philippine government still has to resolve the difficult visa producer for Indians going to the Philippines, he said easier access for travel to the Philippines will soon be granted to Indian nationals.

"We are going to tap the 1.1 billion Indians as tourism market for the Philippines. India’s middle class is fast developing," Alburo said.

Just like China, the Philippines was able to reduce visa requirements for the Chinese who wanted to travel to the Philippines, to allow easier application for group visa to Chinese group travelers.

In Central Visayas, DOT-7 regional director Patria Aurora Roa said tourism stakeholders are now starting to penetrate the Indian market, through series of trade missions to India.

"There is a growing number of rich Indians who can afford to travel around the world. We have to tap this huge and growing market," Roa said in an interview.

DOT-7 record showed that Indian national arrivals to Cebu last year only totaled to 259 already including arrivals from other South Asian region. However, the rate is fast growing, with 100.78 percent improvement compared to arrivals registered in 2005.

Just like China, India is not part of the top 10 markets for Central Visayas tourism sector. But Roa said both China and India are now the new emerging markets for Philippine tourism, particularly Cebu.

Series of trade missions will be held starting this year to these countries, in order to attract Chinese and Indian tourists to the Philippines, Alburo added.

Arrival to Cebu from China is also growing at 43.73 percent last year compared to 2005. Chinese tourists visited to Cebu in 2006 totaled to 7,984 from 5,555 in year 2005.

Both China and India now are the priority focus of the tourism sector, as the Philippines, or Cebu has already captured sizeable number of Koreans, and increasing Japanese tourists.