Tourists arrive in droves

Who says that local tourism is in a slump?

Despite a US warning that the Philippines could be the next major target of terrorists, foreign tourists, mostly Koreans, Japanese, Chinese and even Europeans, continue to come into the country in droves.

Yesterday two South Korean Airlines flights from New York via Seoul and two Asiana Airlines flights from San Francisco via Seoul, and Eva Air from Los Angeles via Taipei arrived in Manila, fully booked with holiday seekers and honeymooners.

All Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights from Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Hawaii were all filled up to seating capacity with mostly balikbayans as passengers, while Chinese tourists from Shanghai and Xiamen, China found it difficult to get a booking for PAL’s return flights to Manila.

All the seats on two Northwest Airlines 747 flights to and from the US mainland were occupied mostly by returning or departing Filipinos with some Americans, Japanese and Koreans.

Bulk of the tourists arriving in Manila are South Korean nationals, some of whom claimed it was even safer to travel to the Philippines compared to other countries.

"Besides, there is danger no matter where you go," said one visitor.

The Koreans have become the country’s top foreign tourists, edging out the Japanese and Taiwanese. But the Chinese are fast catching up with the Koreans as shown by PAL’s fully-booked flights from Shanghai and Xiamen. – Rey Arquiza