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MANILA, Philippines?Three million tourists from abroad will have visited the country by the end of the year, or two million less than the targeted five million, Tourism Undersecretary Oscar Payabyab said in his projection pending official figures.
While there could have been more tourists, the global recession affected global travel, he said. The lower projection, he explained, was due ?to the contraction of outbound tourist traffic in our usual market, particularly Japan and Korea.?
?The increased arrivals from China and Taiwan have enabled the country to make up for the loss,? he said.
Palabyab also acknowledged that the severe typhoons had a negative effect on the tourism industry.
?Baguio City, for instance, lost over 2,000 domestic tourists since it had to forego hosting the Advertising Congress because of the floods and landslides,? he said.
He pointed out that since most foreign tourists plan their visit months in advance, the Maguindanao massacre in November could not have stopped those who had already booked their flights.
?But it may have discouraged those who were still planning their vacations,? he said.
Palabyab also congratulated the media for the positive role they play in the tourism industry. From their reports, he said, foreign tourists learn where these violent incidents occur, and they are able to avoid these places.
He said that DoT keeps assuring visitors that the country?s popular destinations remain safe.
Also, Payabyab said, domestic tourism received a boost from the so-called holiday economics. He explained that the President always clustered holidays, and that enabled workers to plan their vacations around the long weekends.
Among domestics tourists, Cebu City is the most visited destination, with Camarines Sur coming in second. In fact, the Bicol province was number one, with over one million local tourists recorded in the first nine months.
The third most favored destination is Baguio City and the rest of the Cordillera Autonomous Region.
Other favorites are Bohol and Palawan, which both achieved double-digit growth in domestic tourism.
