PH exceeds goal of 4.8M international visitor arrivals, says DOT

BY JEL SANTOS

Nov 28, 2023 09:28 PM

  

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Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (Photo by DOT)

The Philippines exceeded its goal of having 4.8 million international tourist arrivals before the end of 2023.

This was announced by Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco during the agency’s first Philippine Golf Tourism Summit held at Grand Hyatt Manila on Tuesday, Nov. 28.

“As of Nov. 27, 2023, the country has registered a total of 4,822,530 million visitors who visited the country, with foreign tourists still comprising the bulk of arrivals by 91.88 percent or 4,430,725, while the remaining 8.12 percent or 391,805 are returning overseas Filipinos,” the agency said in its statement. 

According to the tourism department, South Korea remains the Philippines’ top source market for foreign arrivals which brought in 1,271,602 tourists or 26.37 percent of the total.

The USA came in second with 797,181 tourists (16.53 percent), followed by Japan with 272,735 tourists (5.66 percent), China with 242,107 tourists (5.02 percent), and Australia with 225,464 tourists (4.68 percent).

Frasco said the agency targeted 4.8 million international arrivals by the end of 2023.

“We have now welcomed over 4.82 million international visitors, contributing an impressive P404 billion in foreign visitor receipts to date underscoring the value of tourism to our economy,” she stated. 

“Tourism continues to drive growth and provide income and jobs nationwide.”

Frasco shared the report of the country’s national economic managers, which indicates that the Philippines' second-largest source of economic growth is tourism.

“This cements our position as one of the strongest pillars of the Philippine economy that employs no less than 5.35 million Filipinos in the tourism industry sector, ensuring jobs, livelihood, and the well-being of communities all over the country,” she went on.

The chief of the tourism department said that the other factors that contributed to these accomplishments included the relaxation of visa requirements, the construction of tourist rest areas, the creation of the first-ever multi-platform tourist call center, the building of tourism roads, the growth of dive, heritage, and cultural tourism caravans, the development of cruise, education, medical, gastronomy, and sports tourism,among others.

Present during the event were tourism and golf industry leaders and stakeholders.

The summit was organized by the agency’s Office of Product Development of Golf Tourism and Special Projects.

Tourism recharged

To live up to its mandate of being the true representative of the country’s tourism stakeholders, the new TCP Board also appointed various representatives of the industry’s various sectors and regions.

BY DEEDEE SIYTANGCO

Apr 30, 2023 00:52 AM

  

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Another long weekend will end tomorrow, Labor Day. Traditonally, the day will be marked by fiery speeches from labor leaders and activists and a handful of rallies and demonstrations. So expect those tomorrow.

But May is also the month of the Blessed Mother Mary, so the churches will have the offering of flowers after the masses. I love this religious tradition, which is practiced all over our country. Little girls in white dresses carry their flower offerings to Mary, a lovely, inspiring sight!

Many of our friends and relatives have had the chance to have reunions again and go to their favorite vacations spots, beaches, parks, and the like. The cafés and little eating places are thriving too, thanks to improved highways and by-ways to the provinces.
Tourism is thriving too, enjoying a re-birth so to speak despite the fear of a new Covid variant. Again we are asked to wear masks in public places as a precaution, so please do to contain the spread. In the meantime, enjoy the long, hot summer days ahead.

A good friend of mine and a pillar in our Bulong Pulungan media forum, Bob Zozobrado, is right in the middle of the tourism revival. In fact he is leading a spark-plug group. The Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) recently convened and elected its new board of trustees for the period 2023-2025.

Other tourism industry stalwarts elected were James Montenegro of Chroma Hospitality as executive vice-president,  Cindy Marie Virar of Marcian Garden Hotel Corp. as secretary,  Margarita Munsayac of Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort as Treasurer, and Harry Morris of Hijo Resources Corp., as PRO.

President Bob Zozobrado with Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco

TCP was created by the Tourism Act of 2009 under Republic Act 9593 to serve as the private sector consultative body to assist the government in the development, implementation, and coordination of Philippine tourism policies. Its hundreds of members come from all sectors of the tourism industry all over the country.

To live up to its mandate of being the true representative of the country’s tourism stakeholders, the new TCP Board also appointed various representatives of the industry’s various sectors and regions. Rolando Cañizal of Rajah Travel Corp. is the vice-president for Luzon,  Peter Tay of Boracay Adventures, Inc. is the vice-president for Visayas, and Marilou Ampuan of Bloomers Travel and Tours is the vice-president for Mindanao.

The sectoral representatives for Luzon are Sylvia Elvira Domingo of Philippine Airlines as  trustee for transport,  Michael Jaey Albaña of SMX Convention Center as trustee for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions),  Javier Hernandez of LIO Tourism Estate as trustee for Tourism Estate Development.

The Visayas has Maria Theresa Acelo of Check Cars Transport System as trustee for transport;  Celso Jimenez of Micro Soph Events Management Services as trustee for MICE, Eduard Loop of Cebu Safari and Adventure Park as trustee for Tourism Estate, and Jaime Sarte III of Feel Deep Scuba Diving Services as trustee for Other Accredited Tourism Enterprises.

The new set of TCP officers being inducted into office by Tourism Secretary Frasco

Mindanao is represented by Mary Ann Montemayor of Konkordans, Inc. as trustee for MICE and Clyde Gamola of PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College as trustee for Other Accredited Tourism Enterprises.

In connection with its mandate of being the continuous link between the country’s tourism stakeholders and the Department of Tourism (DOT), consultative meetings with the various tourism sectors have already been scheduled in the different regions starting in June, with the tourism enterprises in Luzon, followed by a similar one in the Visayas and another one in Mindanao.

To ensure that operational standards of all tourism enterprises in the country are up to par with our foreign counterparts, the TCP is helping the DOT with its continuous drive to make all tourism-related businesses DOT-accredited.

Bob loves facing a big challenge but he is excited and eager to help the industry he loves.