Phl is top tropical island – China daily

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines remains a favorite of the Chinese, with the Shanghai Morning Post picking the country as the “Best Tropical Island Destination.”

Other winning international destinations with individual citations were Switzerland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and South Korea, which emerged as the most popular destination for the Chinese.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Shanghai Morning Post Tourism Awards 2013 was held on Jan. 7 at the JingAn Shangri-La Hotel along Shanghai’s famous Nanjing Road.

Winners from various travel industry categories were selected based on a consumer survey done by the news daily, in partnership with Shanghai QQ.com, one of the biggest social media platforms in China.

Last year, the Philippines won the “Most Romantic Destination” award given by the Shanghai Morning Post, which is part of the Jiefang Daily Group that merged with Wenhui-Xinmin United Press Group late last year to form the biggest newspaper company in China, the Shanghai United Media Group.

The award is an affirmation of the strong market performance and brand recognition for the Philippines as an exciting and fun destination for the ever-growing number of Chinese outbound travelers.

Based on the Department of Tourism’s Visitor Arrival Report, Chinese arrivals to the Philippines reached 365,905 as of October 2013, with year-to-date growth rate of 70 percent compared to same-period figures of 2012.

As of end-September 2013, Department of Tourism (DOT) data showed China remained the fourth biggest source of tourist arrivals in the Philippines, constituting 9.32 percent of inbound visitors with a growth of 66.08 percent from the same period last year.

The increase in Chinese tourist arrivals was the highest among the top markets. For the month of September 2013 alone, this market saw a 124.25 percent growth compared to the comparative month in 2012.

The increase was achieved despite the weather-related catastrophes that affected travel to the Philippines last year, particularly the earthquakes in central Visayas in October, and Super Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan in November.

Apart from the promotion of the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign and the market’s growing preference for the Philippines for both business and leisure travel, the continuing increase in Chinese tourist arrivals is also attributed to the strategic cooperation with key Chinese travel trade and media partners, which resulted in the expansion of air access between the Philippines and China.

There are now numerous direct flights from different cities in China to the country’s favorite destinations such as Boracay, Clark, Laoag and Cebu through Air Asia Zest, Airphil Express, Cebu Pacific, SeaAir and China Southern Air.

Plans are underway to open chartered flights to Legazpi City, which will be anchored on Misibis Bay, and Puerto Princesa and Bohol.

Access to Gateway Manila was also enhanced in 2013 with the opening of Philippine Airlines’ five-times-a-week flights out of Guangzhou in July, and China Eastern Air’s daily flights out of Shanghai in October. – Donnabelle Gatdula