MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Tourism (DOT) is doubling its efforts to attract other segments of the Japanese market as recession threatens to reduce the number of Japanese tourists, the third largest foreign group visiting the country next to Koreans and Americans.

Many Japanese tourists and other tour groups might be forced to cancel travel plans next year because of the global financial meltdown, tourism officials said.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said the agency is now promoting the country’s spas and resorts to an affluent market—rich Japanese ladies who are unlikely to skimp on their vacations—and older Japanese tourists.

To help attract this market segment, the Tourism department recently tapped Japanese beauty title holders, Hiroko Mima, Miss Universe-Japan 2008 and Sayo Yamaguchi, a Miss Universe-Japan finalist, to promote the department’s “Celebrity Experience” program.

“The promotion is a specialized holiday package that targets high-spending Japanese women who come to the country for a premium resort experience, at par with celebrity pampering,” Durano said.

According to Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. of the DOT Tourism Planning and Promotions office, the two beauty queens were sent to the country’s luxurious spa resorts where they were given celebrity treatment. “We can’t think of better endorsers to promote our spa destinations than beauty titlists,” Jarque said. “We also took them shopping and sightseeing and we had them try our local delicacies.”

Apart from this lucrative market, the DOT said it was also intensifying its campaign to encourage Japanese senior citizens who want to escape the winter months to visit the Philippines.

The “Live your Dreams” program also entices retired Japanese and active seniors to consider the Philippines when looking for a second home in the tropics, Durano said.

“This project capitalizes on the high-cost of living and the winter weather in Japan. The seniors are always on the lookout for an affordable second home in tropical places,” he said.

The DOT joined the Odaiba Otona Adults’ Park event in Japan last November to drum up interest in the country’s attractions. The event—the biggest fair for active seniors—attracted 137,000 participants.

The Tourism department also welcomed the introduction of Cebu Pacific’s budget flights from Manila to Kansai, Osaka. “The direct flight from Manila to Kansai will add approximately 537 seats a week or almost 28,000 seats, a significant boost to inbound travelers coming from Japan,” said Durano.

“Positive ventures like these are what our tourism industry and the whole country needs to counter the economic challenges that lie ahead,” he said.