Comparing the growth in tourism in 2006 to levels in 2004, the travel industry in the Philippines have grown by an average of 14% per annum, surpassing the 7% projected rate for the ASEAN countries cited by the United Nations.

Each year since 2004, the Philippines have been seeing an additional 300,000 travellers enter customs on average, with 2004 showing the highest volume at 384,126, resulting in 2006 reporting a total of 2,843,345 international travellers coming into the Philippines.

Flights into Malaysia have also reflected the growth in tourism, with October 2006 figures showing that 556 weekly international flights were operating in the Philippines with 142,254 seats flown on board.

Recent booms in the industry have also seen Korean tourists over take the USA and Japan as the highest demographic of travellers, and the Chinese boom also meant more travel, jumping from 12th place in 2004 to 4th in 2005.

China was one of the countries that had been singled out as a major market source for the Philippines and new offline and online programs will be initiated in the near future.

In a statement released by the Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT), it said, “The Department’s new global portfolio strategy integrates insights on: winning in core markets, growing in strategic markets, and maintaining interest and awareness in investment markets.

“In 2006, complementing the successes in core markets, the DOT began to expand its focus.  It is now investing across a broader portfolio of markets in a measured, disciplined and systematic way to yield sustainable and long term growths.”

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