Tourist arrivals up 10%

Tourist arrivals in the country posted a 10 percent increase in the first half of the year, bringing the Department of Tourism (DOT) closer to achieving its target of three million foreign arrivals by the end of the year.

The DOT recorded a total of 1,420,040 arrivals from January to June this year, a 10.4 percent increase from 1,285,762 arrivals during the same period last year.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano said tourist arrivals have been growing by double digits for the past three years.

Durano said one way of expanding the economic benefit of tourism is to encourage tourists to spend more in the country.

The DOT aims to increase the dollar spending of each tourist as this will contribute to the country’s revenues, he said.

Durano pointed out a single tourist usually spends $90 to $110 a day.

To draw in tourists, the DOT recently launched an aggressive campaign to promote the country as a shopping destination in Asia.

Durano said a higher volume of tourists will mean higher dollar spending.

He said this will also help business, particularly in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to sell their products to tourists, which would also open further employment opportunities for our countrymen.

The DOT said the majority of tourists are coming from the United States, Korea, Japan and China.

Arrivals from China posted 41 percent increase to 64,584 from 45,789 in the first half last year.

Director Rolando Canizal of the Office of Tourism Development Planning said the DOT is looking on the incentive market of company travelers from China since they comprise a big market.

Canizal said these travelers are working in foreign-invested enterprises and they travel a lot.

Aside from the country’s scenic views, the DOT is promoting the country into a shopping hub in Asia, especially now that major malls are sprouting in the country, Canizal said. - Helen Flores