DOT eyes more visa-free gateways for Chinese tourists

MANILA, Philippines — Spurred by a surge in Chinese tourist arrivals following relaxed visa rules, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is pushing to expand the 14-day visa-free scheme beyond the country’s main gateways to draw more visitors to secondary destinations.

Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said that aside from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Metro Manila and Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu, the DOT wants the visa-free arrangement extended to other gateways serving major tourist destinations, including Clark, Caticlan, Palawan and Bohol, among others.

“If we’re going to get all the other agencies to sign up on this, then we can expect a lot more charter flights from China and a lot more arrivals,” Angara-Mathay said on the sidelines of the DOT’s partnership renewal with online booking platform Klook on Tuesday.

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According to her, the DOT has prepared a position paper laying out the economic case for the expansion, backed by statistical analysis showing what she described as the “profound effect” of easier visa access on Philippine tourism.

Booming Chinese arrivals

Based on preliminary eTravel registrations, China recorded the biggest jump in tourist arrivals from January to August, with 310,088 visitors so far this year, up 69.15 percent year-on-year—an increase that the DOT chief said strengthens the case for expanding the visa-free arrangement.

“Can you imagine if you expand to cover more areas?” Angara-Mathay said.

That made China the country’s fourth-largest source of foreign visitors behind the United States, South Korea and Japan.

Overall, the Philippines recorded about 4.11 million arrivals as of Aug. 31 based on eTravel data. The DOT is targeting between 6.4 million and 6.8 million arrivals this year, although Angara-Mathay said reaching 7 million remains possible.

“It looks like, and we might just be sure to hit this target. And even more, especially if we’re able to get more tourist arrivals from target markets,” she said.

Secondary cities push

Apart from expanding visa-free entry, the DOT is pushing for more air links between secondary cities in the Philippines and key overseas markets, according to Tourism Assistant Secretary Ren Sapitan.

Tourism Undersecretary Stanley Ng, a former Philippine Airlines president, has been leading talks with carriers on potential new services, particularly involving China and South Korea.

Rather than concentrating connectivity on major hubs such as Seoul, the DOT wants airlines to explore secondary cities abroad and link them through charter flights to Philippine destinations such as Bohol and Caticlan. /cb