Philippine July 2007 tourist arrivals increase by 11.26%

A total of 281,032 tourists visited the Philippines in July 2007, reflecting an 11.26 percent growth compared to July last year. Based on research by the Department of Tourism (DOT), this month’s additional tally brought up the number of visitor arrivals since January to 1.8 million.

In a statement, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said, “2007 is proving to be a monumental year for the industry as this will be the first time that visitor arrivals will breach the 3.1 million mark. The steady upswing over the months can be attributed to the synergy between the private and public sectors in aggressively presenting the best that the Philippines has to offer to both major and emerging markets.”

Korea was still the leading source of arrivals in July 2007, taking a 22.3 percent share or 62,692 tourists. The United States followed closely as the second biggest provider, contributing 17.3 percent or 48,560 to the aggregate. Japan took the third largest share with 12.2 percent, or 34,156 visitors. China and Taiwan were listed at the top fourth and fifth positions, bringing in 13,304 and 11,325 holidaymakers, or a 4.7 percent and four percent share, to the islands respectively.

The Chinese market revealed itself as the fastest growing among the top five sources for July this year, with a 20.6 percent increase over the same month in 2007. Korea reflected a 16.3 percent jump, while the United States presented a 1.9 percent growth. However, the Japanese market slightly dipped by 1.4 percent. Taiwan also slowed down by 7.8 percent.

Among the top 10 source countries in July, ranking from 6th to 10th, were Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. Each of these countries took up an average three percent share of the overall tourist volume.

The total of 1,809,539 arrivals registered from January to July this year reflected an 8.2 percent growth rate over the same period in 2006. Korea maintained its leadership position by providing 375,010 travelers, or a 20.7 percent share. The United States, contributed 362,896 arrivals, or 20.1 percent, while Japan produced 231,251 or a 12.8 percent share to the aggregate in this period. The top 4th and 5th leading sources, China and Hong Kong, brought in 86,766 and 65,804, or 4.8 percent and 3.6 percent respectively.

In terms of growth rates for the first seven months of the year, Hong Kong showed the highest increase among the top five markets with a 20 percent hike over the same period in 2006. Korea and China follow with a 16.7 percent and 14.7 percent hike. Influx of tourists from the United States grew slightly by 1.8 percent. However, travelers from Japan fell by 7.5 percent.

Durano declared, “The general rise in arrivals directly translates to receipts and profit for our tourism establishments, such as the hotels, resorts, retail shops, restaurants, entertainment and recreation establishments, spas and transportation services. The challenge for the industry now is to meet the strong demand for more rooms and greater access to more destinations, which we perceive will only intensify in the coming years.”

The secretary further revealed that visitor expenditure grew at an average of 20.11 percent over the last three years, making the industry one of the economy’s top dollar earners. The department is projecting US$2.9 billion, or approximately PhP133 billion, in tourist receipts by yearend.

The DOT, travel agencies, airlines, hotels and resorts, tour operators and other members of the travel and leisure industry have been collaborating on promotional activities and participating in major tourism exhibits around the world.

The secretary is set to head a special selling mission to Moscow, Russia, which is touted as one of the emerging travel markets in the world. The department has completed arrangements with the Department of Foreign Affairs for visa-upon-arrival services to Russian nationals, which will make entering the country more convenient for those not originating from the embassy based in Moscow.

Durano will also lead a delegation at the Top Resa Travel Market Show at Deauville, France. The event is one of the largest fairs in Europe and will open the winter travel season to over 17,000 potential tourists from France and neighboring countries.

The DOT is further finalizing plans for its participation in the JATA World Travel Fair in Tokyo, Japan. Organized by the Japan Association of Travel Agents, the expo is touted to be the biggest international tourism-related shows in the country.

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