RP's top tourist destination logs 1.25M tourist arrivals last year

Cebu is fast becoming a travel destination among foreigners and locals after the Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 reported a double-digit growth in tourist arrivals last year.

The province registered an 11.57 percent increase in tourist arrivals in 2006. The number grew to 1.25 million from the 1.12 million in the previous year, data from DOT 7 revealed.

“All ingredients needed for an ideal destination is here in Cebu. We have the image, the right perception and accessibility,” said DOT Undersecretary Phineas Alburo.

For accessibility alone, the Mactan Cebu International Airport caters to 51 overseas flights to all major tourist destinations in the world, he said.

In addition, a “well-organized” tourism industry coupled with the Cebuanos’ hospitality led by “active” local leaders makes Cebu a popular tourist hot spot, Alburo told Sun.Star Cebu.

According to DOT 7 data, travelers from East Asian countries like China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan account for 67.10 percent of the total number of tourists or a total of 318,527 visitors.

The Koreans continue to top the list of foreign arrivals in Cebu next to the Japanese and tourists from the United States.

The Korean market, which continues to be the fastest growing market of the country’s tourism industry, numbered 165,309 last year, up by 13 percent from the 146,289 in 2005. This is followed by Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

However, in terms of growth rate, both China and Taiwan have shown significant increases.

Tourist arrivals from Taiwan grew by 46.15 percent, while Chinese visitors increased by 43.73 percent.

Alburo said the province needs to capitalize on the growing Chinese market, described to be the new generation of “sophisticated” travelers.

Meanwhile, tourists from the United States and Canada are also seeing bright prospects in Cebu’s tourism sector, as travelers from the two countries increased by 29.23 percent last year.

From 45,306, the figures grew to 58,551 in 2006.

European tourists to Cebu also grew by 29.75 percent from 34,178 to 44,436 in the same period.

Tourists from the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland were identified as the top three visitors frequenting the province.

“The Philippine tourism offices in Frankfurt and London are aggressively moving to get the European market,” Alburo said.

He said DOT is also penetrating the Russian market, whose average length of stay in Cebu is from seven to 14 days.

The report also revealed that visitors from South Asian countries like India have more than doubled its growth, showing a 70.75 percent increase last year. From 1,453 tourists in 2005, DOT recorded 2,481 last year.

Owing to Cebu’s “successful” hosting of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit early this year, even tourist arrivals from neighboring countries grew.

A total of 10,914 Asean tourists traveled to Cebu last year, registering a 14.70 percent increase from the 9,515 visitors in 2005.

In terms of volume, the Singaporeans ranked first with 4,858 tourists but the Indonesians registered the highest growth rate at 83.42 percent.

From 772 Indonesian tourists in 2005, it has increased to 1,416 last year.

In addition, tourist arrivals from Thailand grew to 51.42 percent from 1,060 to 1,605 in the same period.

The province is also a magnet for domestic travelers and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Domestic travelers grew to 772,767 last year, an 8.39 percent increase from the 712,938 the year previous.

OFWs registered a 35.69 percent growth rate or from 1,813 to 2,460.

Alburo is optimistic in getting more “promising” results by the end of the year, as the effects of the Asean summit are slowly trickling down to the local tourism and business sectors, which is also anticipating the entry of foreign direct investments.(SS)