Durano reports on state of tourism

Department of Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano yesterday projected a more optimistic and promising year ahead for the tourism industry which fared quite well in 2004 due to significant developments that reinforced its role as a major source of economic growth for the country.

Despite travel advisories issued against the Philippines, Durano said the year 2004 proved to be a banner year for tourism because of various reasons: the surge in tourist arrivals and dollar receipts; the fresh mandate given to President Arroyo during the last May elections; the recent state takeover of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA 3) which was temporarily stopped by a lower court; and the reconfiguration of DoT’s programs and projects into a more personalized approach to attract more tourists.

Visitor arrivals from January to December 27 reached 2,233,921, clearly surpassing 2003’s figures and even the record 2.22 million year-round tourist traffic in 1997. The first 10 months of the 2004, alone posted 24.3 percent growth rate than the previous year.

For 2005, the tourism chief is projecting 2.668 million total arrivals or an increase of 16 percent from 2004’s 2.3 million. He based his projection from last year’s developments, a more focused marketing campaign and the possible change of itinerary in favor of the Philippines by tourists destined for East Asian tourist spots affected by the recent tsunami.

Last year’s arrivals were mostly from countries in the Asia-Pacific region such as Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Greater China (Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan). These nations, according to Durano, are the very target of DoT’s marketing programs for 2005 thru 2010.

The uptrend was also reflected in the tourist receipts (dollars spent here by the visitors) which amounted to a hefty $1.611 billion from $1.22 billion in 2003, with a 32.39 percent growth rate.

He said another positive development for the tourism industry was the recent decision of the government to operate NAIA 3 pending the resolution of legal issues posed by Philippine International Air Terminals Corp. (Piatco), the builder of the modern air terminal.

"NAIA 3 would not only expand airport capacity, but would also afford the country with a modern port of entry to serve the needs of international tourists," he pointed out, noting that excellent airports are one of the plus factors of other countries in the region in attracting tourists.

He also stressed that NAIA 3 which is expected to operate in June, "would be a great boost to the national effort in selling the Philippines as a medium tourist destination as this would tremendously expand the capacity of the nation’s premier airport, which account for more than 80 percent of total tourist traffic."

Meanwhile, Sec. Durano has launched a more personalized marketing scheme to achieve targets of arrivals and foreign exchange receipts this year. As soon as he assumed office in September, he held a series of consultations with the travel trade that resulted to the decision to focus more on the country’s priority targets markets: North America, Greater China, Japan and South Korea.

The tourism chief has formed marketing teams to work on these specific markets. They were tasked to create programs and tour packages suited to the needs of potential travelers in these countries. The marketing teams are composed of competent representatives and experts from the travel agencies, tour operators, hotels and resorts and the Department of Tourism.

Durano also reported that the government and the private sector have addressed the lack of tourist infrastructure in major tourist destinations in the country. Construction and expansion of hotels, resorts and other tourist facilities are already underway in Cebu, Boracay and Baguio to accommodate the expected huge influx of visitors this year to this prime tourist spots. More domestic airports and seaports in the provinces are also being built and or renovated to further make tourist destinations more accessible to tourists.