Israel tourist arrivals in the Philippines jump by 30%

MANILA, Philippines - Tourist arrivals from Israel jumped by 30 percent in January to September 2013 compared to the same period the previous year, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported.

Data from the Department of Tourism showed that there were 5,491 Israeli tourists who visited the Philippines for the first nine months of 2013. This is 93 percent of the full 2012 figure (5,895), 110 percent of the full 2011 figure (4,990) and 121 percent of the full 2010 figure (4,525). 

DFA said the rise in figures, is due to the elevated tourism promotion efforts headed by the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv in cooperation with the Israel-Philippines Tourism Chamber. The country is looking at breaching the 6,000 visitor arrival mark this year.

The embassy also joined the 2013 International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) in Tel Aviv for the first time in two decades, and it is also planning to send Israeli officials, celebrities and journalists as part of its familiarization tour. The tour is slated in March, right before the resumption of Manila-Tel Aviv direct flights of Philippine carriers.

The recent win of Filipino caregiver Rose Fostanes in X Factor Israel, the upcoming IMTM in February and the familiarization tour in March are expected to bring bigger tourist arrival figures in the first quarter and sustain the momentum throughout the year.