Clark tourist arrivals still up

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines – The Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at the Clark Freeport has been spared from any backlash in tourist arrivals feared after the hostage tragedy in Manila that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead.

Director Ronaldo Tiotuico of the Department of Tourism in Central Luzon said the arrival of foreign tourists, including those from Hong Kong, appeared unaffected by the tragedy.

Tiotuico said the passenger volume from Asian countries at the DMIA remains high at 2,283, compared to only 1,067 during the same period last year.

The figure, he said, represents arrivals from Aug. 24, a day after the hostage-taking incident, to Aug. 27.

Tiotuico said the officers and members of the Pampanga Agents Travel Society in Angeles City expressed their deep sorrow and sympathy to the families of the Hong Kong victims during a meeting with officials of China Tee Tours.

For their part, Hong Kong-based officials of China Tee Tours vouched for the safety of Filipinos who would visit Hong Kong and mainland China, amid fears that the hostage tragedy might trigger resentment toward Filipinos, he said.

Despite the negative repercussions of the hostage incident, Tiotuico said the DMIA “continues to draw loads of air passengers from South Korea, Singapore, Macau, Taipei, Bangkok, Malaysia and even Hong Kong.”  

He said the DMIA registers an average of 25,000 air passengers per month, and he attributed this to the “unhampered success of the Clark airport in drawing hordes of tourists and overseas Filipino workers.”