27 September 2004
Department of Tourism Urges Tourism Businesses to Target Closer Markets
The Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 has urged the private sector to coordinate its efforts in marketing Cebu as a tourism hub with those of the government in order to bring positive results despite the scarcity of resources.
DOT 7 Regional Director Dawnie Roa also encouraged the tourism industry to "temporarily" set aside promotions to areas that need to be further developed such as Europe and instead focus on the potential of closer markets like China, Korea and Japan.
"We have scarce resources. We have to jive our marketing efforts together to sell the Philippines, prioritizing the markets to be tapped. Kalimutan muna natin si Europe (let's temporarily forget Europe). Let's bring in warm bodies from China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan to the Philippines," she said during a tourism forum organized by Skal International-Cebu at the Teatro Casino, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino last Tuesday.
Roa said the DOT, under the leadership of Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, is also set to implement the suggestions of the Mckinsey Report for agressive marketing to be focused on particular tourist spots in the Philippines including the Cebu-Bohol corridor and other destinations like Manila, Palawan, Boracay, Clark-Subic corridor and Davao.
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The United States, which continues to issue adverse travel advisories to its nationals leaving for the Philippines, remains the country’s number one market, with 252,612 American travelers coming in during the first semester, a 35.5 percent growth rate year on year.
Roa said the DOT has recalled its tourism offices in Paris, London and other countries in Europe but will be adding tourism offices in China, one of the countries with the most promising tourism markets.
Cebu Visitors and Convention Bureau chairman Patrick Gregorio said the Philippines could expect the surge of Chinese in the Philippines after the government lifted the visa requirement of the Philippine government for Chinese nationals.
"The Chinese want to come to the Philippines. With the lifting of the visa requirement, nothing can stop them from coming to the country," he said.
According to the DOT 7, tourist arrivals to Cebu grew 18 per cent to 593,837 in the first seven months of this year from 503,536 in the same period last year.
Korea was the top market, accounting for 28.70 per cent of all foreign tourists, followed closely by Japan, which accounted for 27.03 per cent of arrivals this year.
Arrivals from Korea alone grew 44 per cent this year from last year. Arrivals from Japan were up 30 per cent.
Hong Kong arrivals were up 38 per cent to 10,206, while those from mainland China were up a mere 6.45 per cent to 3,202.
Arrivals from Taiwan were down 33 percept to 4,549, however.
Arrivals from the entire Europe grew 33 per cent to 16,843, but the continent accounted for only 8.55 per cent of the total foreign travelers to Cebu.
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