Philippine tourism, apparently buoyed by the country’s president’s strong arm diplomacy and push for large scale countryside infrastructure development appears headed for further growth.
“Do you know how many Korean tourists we get a day?” Undersecretary Benito “Bong” C. Bengzon, Jr. said. “3,600!”
And if that’s any indication, the official said tourism continues to grow, citing that 2016 ended with an almost 11-percent growth, followed by a 10-percent increase in the first two months of 2017, above the global and Asian average.
“In line with the 10-point agenda of the president which specifically mentioned an increase in competitiveness and pushing for countryside and rural development, it becomes incumbent upon us to be more aggressive with our marketing and market development,” Bengzon said.
Philippine tourism kicked off 2017 with a surge of inbound visitors up to 631,639 in January, the highest ever recorded volume of tourists received in a single month, surpassing the DOT’s 600-thousand mark.
“I look at the growth rate very objectively,” Bengzon said.
Bengzon was recently in Dubai to head the Philippine delegation that participated in the just-concluded four-day Arabian Tourism Market (ATM) 2017. The Philippines sent its biggest delegation, which comprise 31 key players, and set up its biggest booth so far in its history of participation at ATM.
