RP gains ground in new tourism markets

IN COMMON with many other long-haul destinations, the Philippines suffered from the events of Sept. 11, 2001. But recent reports suggest that a recovery can already be on the way, with the country experiencing growth in new markets.

The Philippines' presence at the International Tourism Exchange (ITB) last month in Berlin is an essential part of the strategy being pursued by its Department of Tourism, and provided an ideal opportunity to acquaint the trade industry and the public with the latest developments in the tourism sector.

The country saw a drop in the number of its foreign visitors, attributed mainly to the fallout from the events of late 2001.

The figures for 2001 show a decrease in tourists. There were 1.8 million arrivals, down from 2000 figures of 2 million. (The statistics for German visitors also followed this trend: the year 2001 saw a fall to 40,605 visitors from the total of 51,131 who were registered in 2000. It is not all bad news though, and while some of the traditional markets may have seen a fall in demand, there has been increasing interest from new markets such as Korea and Taiwan.)

Another new market for the Philippines is that of ecotourism. Its DOT has launched a new campaign called "WOW Philippines-Wealth Of Wonders," complete with a new website that has been specifically designed to attract the ecotourism market.

The website is in the form of a glossy brochure, with information for the potential traveler consisting of everything from the best destinations, how to get there, who to contact about more information, and the current weather in Manila.

This is envisioned to encourage visitors to the Philippines to travel to such areas as Tubbataha Reef Marine Park in Palawan, its beaches and its World Heritage Sites.

At ITB Berlin 2002 the Philippine booth consisted of 18 exhibitors, which included hotels, incoming tour operators, and resorts.

It was coordinated by the DOT in Frankfurt.

ITB Berlin, which is now in its 36th year, is again helping stimulate the travel business this year. It serves the needs of the world's tourism industry, with more than three-quarters of its exhibitors coming from outside Germany.

This year it drew a total of 9,875 exhibitors, with 67 additionally represented tourism companies and organizations from 181 countries and territories.

Although the figures represent a slight decrease from last year, in the context of recent world events they show that ITB Berlin maintains its strong position within the tourism market and is still the world's largest tourism trade fair.

Last month's displays, which occupied all the available space on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds-an area of 152,224 square meters-covered the entire industry: national and regional tourism organizations, tourism offices, resorts, tour operators and travel agents, carriers, hotels, publishers, insurers and companies specializing in communication and reservation systems.

ITB 2002 attracted more than 50,000 trade visitors from over 190 countries and territories, as well as 6,000 journalists from over 90 countries. Two days of the fair were once again reserved for travel trade professionals only.

Exhibitors can now build upon their success at ITB Berlin by using the new ITB Virtual Market Place to display their products 365 days a year on the Web. This is accessible from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day.