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Philippines

US, Japan top RP’s tourist arrivals
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: By Jaser A. Marasigan
Date: 2004-11-12
 
American visitors topped the country’s tourist arrivals from January-September this year despite US travel advisories preventing their citizens to travel to the Philippines.





This according to Department of Tourism’s (DoT) Statistics Office wherein a total of 352,132 American tourists, who are US passport holders, visited the country during the nine-month period that accounts for 20.9 percent total arrivals, and posted a growth rate of 32 percent.



The total tourist arrivals of January-September marked an increase of 26.7 percent or 1,685,853. Records show that for September alone, tourist arrivals posted a 13.1 percent hike to 159,078 from 140,652 in 2003.



Japanese were the second top visitors for the period, reaching 290,592 or 17.2 percent of the total number, notching an annual gain of 22.7 percent.



DoT Secretary Joseph Ace Durano noted that the increase in arrivals especially from American nationals clearly proved that the perception of the Philippines as a dangerous destination for tourists is untrue.



Foreigners, particularly Americans and Japanese tourists, are naturally security conscious "and yet they continue to come to our shores in large numbers despite the negative travel advisories that have been issued by certain countries,’’ he pointed out.



"This should only mean that they find the Philippines safe, let alone its various attractions,’’ said Durano as he credited the efforts of his predecessors – now Senator Richard Gordon and Roberto Pagdanganan, president of the Philippine Investment and Trading Corp. (PITC) – for the sustained stride in tourist arrivals this year.



Durano vowed that he would follow-up on the thrusts of making the Philippines a leading tourist destination, mounting on marketing plans suited to each and every target markets of the Philippines under the new tourist program.



He expressed confidence that the enhanced and focused marketing plans being crafted by DoT would bring more tourists to the country next year and in succeeding years.



Meanwhile, visitors from Korea numbered 271,747 and accounted for 16.1 percent of total arrivals with a 30.9 percent growth rate, only slightly higher than the growth rate posted by visitors from China, which reached 29,659 compared to last year’s 22,729.



China is among the top target markets of the Philippines for its tourism drive, along with Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, Europe, Southeast Asia and North America.



 

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