17 March 2004
Tourist Arrivals rose to 18.2% in January
The country's tourist arrivals grew 18.2 percent in January with the influx of foreign tourists and balikbayan to Manila, Cebu, Boracay and other parts of the country, the Department of Tourism Research and Statistics office said.
The growth rate was the result of the 207,755 visitor arrivals in January this year compared to the 175,728 tourists recorded during the same period last year.
Despite the travel advisories issued by other countries, the Philippines continue to lure foreign tourists because of the natural attractions like the beaches, the warm climate plus the warm hospitality of the Filipinos.
DoT said tourists flocked to the country to experience the country's Warm over Winter attractions and activities. According to Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan, the DOT Regional Office in Cebu reported lack of rooms due to the influx of Japanese and Koreans to the province last January.
Pagdanganan discussed with World Tourism Organization Secretary General Francesco Frangialli the effects of travel advisories on the economy and tourism industry of poor countries when he attended the Internationale Tourismus Borse in Berlin, Germany. He said there is a need to promote transparency and accuracy in the travel advisories.
In January Hong Kong attained the highest increase with 76.4% followed by Taiwan, 49.8% ; China, 39.9% ; Australia, 27.9%; Canada, 17.1%; Korea, 14.5% ; Germany, 13.2% ; USA, 13.0% ; Malaysia, 9.3% and Japan, 7.0%. Singapore was the lone market with a negative growth rate.
The increase in the growth rate of visitors coming from the East Asian market was relatively high in January due to the Chinese New Year celebration and the spread of avian influenza or bird flu in the neighboring countries as many Asian tourists preferred to visit our country during the said period.
In terms of volume, the United States ranked first in tourist arrivals in January with 41, 625 ; Korea with 37,526 ; Japan, 32,927 ; Hong Kong, 18,811 ; Taiwan, 13,074 ; Australia, 7,225 ; Canada, 6,361 ; United Kingdom, 4,194 ; China, 3,805 and Malaysia 2,598.
Many balikbayan who arrived during the holiday season have extended their stay up to January to be with their families and relatives. Likewise, the number of overseas Filipinos who arrived in January, 2004 reached to 8,104 compared to 7,774 volume during the same period last year.
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