Korean tourists continue to enjoy the wonders of the Philippines (www.newz-blog.com)

Koreans remain as the country’s top tourists as Philippine tourism received an 18 percent growth in tourist arrivals from January-June this year.

According to the Department of Tourism (DoT), the statistics from the first half of the year are better compared than last year. Korean tourists’ fondness for the country’s natural wonders continues to be the main reason why they continue to rank as our top tourist market. The overall number of Korean tourists comprised at least one-fourth of the overall number of visitor arrivals in the country.

The charms of the country’s idyllic beaches from Boracay, Cebu, and Palawan continue to lure in Korean tourists into the country especially with the boom of destination weddings in various parts of the country.

A delightful surprise from the latest report from the DoT is the United States. Tourists from the US came in close second to Korean tourists, contributing 317,181 or 19 percent to the total number of tourist arrivals from January-February, or at least 10,000 more American tourists.

The high placement of tourists from the United States is widely attributed to the numerous adventure destinations in the country. Adventure destinations such as Cam Sur’s Water Sports Complex (CWC) continue to receive large number of tourists including Americans. On the other hand, surfing destinations such as La Union and Siargao have been luring Americans into the country by hosting international surfing events. International events for surfing, wake boarding and other water sports are now being held in the country and patronized by surfers from all over the world.

The number of Chinese tourists, on the other hand, had almost doubled with a 75 percent increase from 8,366 last year to 14,633 this year. The influx of Hong Kong tourists also increased by 50 percent this year from January-June but this is expected to dwindle a bit as an after-effect of the August 23 hostage incident.

The DoT remains confident that the country’s tourism will bounce back from the incident as it continues to look for more ways to widen its market. After all, the Philippines is one of the few countries in the world that have been able to flourish amidst global economic crisis, especially in terms of tourism.

Japan ranks third in the country’s top markets in terms of volume with 171,655 tourists, while China, Hong Kong, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, Canada, and United Kingdom complete the top markets.

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