PHILIPPINES: Department of Tourism Expecting 12M Tourist Arrivals

Department of Tourism (DOT) has expanded its arrival goals for the next six years.

DOT plans to reach 12 million tourism arrivals annually by 2022, said Czarina Zara-Loyola, director of the DOT’s public affairs and advocacy office said.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, Loyola said, expects to exceed annual targets.

“If we exceed annual targets, and we will, better iyon,” she said.

In a statement, Teo said the government is working to increase tourist arrivals in the country through partnerships with neighboring countries, as well as airlines and other industry stakeholders.

However, Loyola assured that despite raising its target arrivals, the DOT is pushing for sustainable and responsible tourism.

“May mga area na kapag congested na, hindi na natin doon dadalhin [ang mga turista]. The goal of this administration under Secretary Wanda Teo is to develop and introduce new tourist sites,” she said.

This can be seen in the Miss Universe pageant activities, which kicked off last month with visits of titlists from 12 countries to different spots in the Philippines.

She also emphasized that they will not raise tourism targets further until there is sufficient infrastructure to accommodate arrivals.

“Hindi naman natin sabihing basta magdadala kami ng mga turista dito. Siyempre, ang tanong pa rin diyan, mayroon bang mauupuan sa eroplano? Sa lugar, mayroon bang matutuluyang mga hotel? Kapag mapo-provide natin iyan, that’s the time na increase natin ang target natin,” she said.

The DOT expects more tourists to come to the country next year due to the Miss Universe pageant, which will be staged in the country.

Teo also expects up to 3 million Chinese tourists to visit the Philippines, after the two countries signed a memorandum of agreement on tourism cooperation, which aims to give the DOT a “better opportunity” to market the Philippines to travelers from its Asian neighbor.

Several direct flights, the DOT said, were also launched this year, such as flights to Laoag from Guangzhou, and from Changi International Airport to Cebu.

They are also preparing to welcome more visitors from Cambodia, Teo said, after the Philippines signed an agreement to start a series of programs that aim to revitalize tourism between the two countries.

Other events that may draw travelers to the country include Madrid Fusion Manila, an international culinary festival; the 50th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit; and high-level conferences of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Aside from tapping partners, DOT recently approached current Miss Universe titleholder Pia Wurtzbach to be a tourism ambassador.

Earlier this month, the House Committee on Tourism approved a proposal to designate boxer-senator Manny Pacquiao as spokesperson for the DOT’s upcoming campaign to promote Philippine attractions around the world.

PHILIPPINES: Manny Pacquiao To Attract Foreign Tourists To The Philippines

It's more fun in the Philippines—and it will soon be up to boxing icon and lawmaker Manny Pacquiao to prove it to foreign tourists.

The House Committee on Tourism on Thursday approved a proposal to designate the boxer-senator as spokesperson for the Department of Tourism's (DOT) upcoming campaign to promote Philippine attractions here and abroad.

"Senator Pacquiao's international stature is a big boost to the tourism industry of the country. His endorsement would create a lot of impact, especially in the social media," said 1-PACMAN Representative Enrico Pineda in a statement.

Pineda earlier suggested Pacquiao as tourism ambassador, citing his international popularity, and the possibility that Pacquiao might lend his services to the DOT for free.

The decision to designate Pacquiao as the country's endorser was one of several issues discussed regarding the plans and programs of DOT, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), and Tourism Promotions Board (TPB).

In November, the DOT said it will spend P650 million to revise and "upscale" in 2017 the "It's More Fun in the Philippines" campaign, which started in 2012, as it allegedly failed to generate enough visitor arrivals.

Advertising and marketing firm McCann Worldgroup, which won the bidding for the project, will handle the conceptualization and implementation of the new campaign Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said.

"The P650 million is not only for the tag line itself; that includes all the media placements all over the world," DOT Undersecretary Kat de Castro said.

According to the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group, data from DOT showed that the number of visitors to the country consistently increased from January 2012 to December 2015, reaching 5,360,682 visitors in 2015.

In 2016, the DOT's latest data from January to August showed that the country welcomed at least 4.04 million tourists, 12.59 percent (452,011) higher than the number of tourists received in the same period in 2015.