PHILIPPINE tourism continues to accelerate in 2006 as revealed recently by the Department of Tourism (DoT). The DoT report noted that a record high 22.1 percent growth in tourist arrivals was posted in January compared to the same period last year. There were 268,818 foreign tourists that visited the Philippines for the first month of the year as against 220,248 in January, 2005. According to DoT, this is the first time that that the country recorded more than 250,000 arrivals in January.
Among the foreign visitors, nationals of the Republic of South Korea topped the list. They made up close to 22 percent of the tourist traffic. Their number represented a hefty 29.8 percent increase from the previous year’s figure. This can be attributed to the effective marketing campaign waged by the DoT last year in South Korea.
In addition, the recent forging of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippines and Korea has brought in different kinds of tourists from South Korea. The agreement focused on the promotion of leisure and business travels as well as study tours and cultural exchanges. With the high number of tourists, Koreans dislodged the United States as the country’s leading tourism market during the period.
Tourist arrivals are expected to sustain the momentum shown this summer. With the Department of Tourism continuing its marketing campaign, we are clearly on track to regaining our standing as a favored tourism destination. After all, the Philippines has the sites and attributes that are more than the ordinary.
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