Phl targets 6.8 M tourist arrivals in 2014: Aquino

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - President Benigno S. Aquino III said today that the country is targeting 6.8 million foreign tourist arrivals next year following the lifting of the ban by the European Union on the country's air carriers.

The target for 2014 foreign tourist arrivals is about 24 percent higher than this year's goal of 5.5 million.

"We are always looking to improve on our performance," Aquino said in a speech during the courtesy call of the eighth Ambassadors, Consuls General, and Tourism Directors' Tour delegates in Malacanang, the presidential palace.

Aquino said he decided to put "a little bit more pressure" on Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. by adjusting the tourism targets for foreign travelers as well as domestic tourists. Jimenez graciously accepted the challenge, Aquino said.

The government is eyeing 10 million foreign tourists and 56.1 million local travelers by 2016, the end of Aquino's six-year term.

In the first five months of the year, international tourists who visited the country surpassed the 2 million mark.

The president hailed the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines for making "stunning progress" for its work resulting to the lifting of the Significant Safety Concerns by the International Civil Aviation Organization last March and the removal of the EU ban on Philippine carriers.

Jimenez, for his part, said EU's move to finally allow the Philippine Airlines (PAL), the country's flag carrier, to resume flights in Europe would be an excellent opportunity for Philippine tourism.

From January to May, a total of 213,598 European travelers visited the country, 8.5 percent more than last year. Most of the travelers came from Britain, Germany and France.

"We therefore expect a significant increase from these markets, to include those from adjacent countries, once the PAL flights are made available," Jimenez said.