Tourism dep't claims foreign visitor count on track to goal

"By reaching this figure in the first four months of the year alone, our 3.74-million target for the year is well within reach," Tourism Secretary Alberto A. Lim said in a press briefing on Monday."Our continuing efforts on the intentional front, especially in trade fairs abroad, will ensure that the target is met."

Mr. Lim said that South Korea remained the top source of tourists with 286,018 visitors in the first four months, or 21.8% of the total recorded in that period.The United States followed with 229,200 visitors, accounting for 17.5%, and Japan with 129,223 visitors, or 9.86%.

In terms of domestic tourism, Mr. Lim said that 23 million Filipinos traveled around the country in the same period.The top destinations for local tourists in that period included Camarines Sur, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan Valley and Boracay, among others.

"Domestic tourism is picking up because of the low airfare rates offered by domestic airlines, and also because local destinations are picking up by themselves and offering more attractions," Mr. Lim explained.Mr. Lim said while growth in foreign visitors is a welcome development, the Philippines lags behind its fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in this regard.

"We stand sixth out of seven countries in the ASEAN in terms of 2009 figures, with Malaysia leading with 23 million visitors in 2009; Thailand, 14 million; Singapore, 7.5 million; Indonesia, 6.3 million; Vietnam with 3.74 million and the Philippines with only three million," Mr. Lim noted."Behind us is Cambodia with two million visitors in 2009."

Mr. Lim said the department is finalizing the National Tourism Development Plan for 2011-2016, under which the Philippines targets at least 6.3 million foreign visitors and 32 million domestic travelers by 2016.

"The plan aims to improve market access and connectivity, develop market-competitive destinations and products and improve tourism institutions and human resources through building the capability of people to deliver international service," Mr. Lim said.

In the plan, the Philippines will be divided into 25 strategic destinations according to tourism themes. Several destinations will be grouped into a cluster around a common gateway."We want destinations to have a lot of attractions to have a robust product, not just one attraction per destination," Mr. Lim explained.

The plan will entail building support infrastructure such as roads, airports and sea ports; development of tourism products; and improving the capability of host communities to deliver international-standard services.

Mr. Lim expects the plan, for which over 1,000 stakeholders nationwide were consulted, to be finished by the end of next month and to be presented to President Benigno S. C. Aquino III before he delivers his State of the Nation Address on July 25.

Source = bworldonline