RP Foreign Visitors at High for 2008

Based on the latest data from the Department of Tourism (DOT), a total of 3.14 million foreign tourists visited the Philippines last year.

The increase is attributed to the increase of tourist arrivals from European countries such as Russia, which rose up to 34%, France by 19%, and United Kingdom by 10%. On the other hand, visitors from United Arab Emirates and Vietnam also increased by 28%.

South Koreans are still the most frequent visitors of the country, with 611,629 arrivals in 2008. Next in line are USA (578,246 arrivals), and Japan (359,205 arrivals).

Chinese and Taiwanese tourist arrival in 2008 expanded to 163, 689 and 118,782, respectively. The DOT worked with Chinese travel agents and airlines to mount new charter flights between Shanghai and Nanning to Cebu, Guangzhou to Clark, and Nanning and Kunming to Manila. In addition, the department worked closely with Mandarin Airlines to increase chartered flights between Taipei to Kalibo, Taipei to Cebu, and Kaoshiung to Cebu.

Other countries that posted significant increase in tourist arrivals are Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, and Indonesia.

Earnings of other tourist-based industries improved with the growth of tourist arrivals. The English as secondary language (ESL) program generated PhP. 180.8 million, with Baguio and Bacolod City garnering the highest profit. Dive shop operators in Cebu and Bohol generated PhP. 8.8 million in gross receipts. The medical tourism industry also had it share of good revenue. DOT-accredited medical tourism facilities in Manila earned PhP. 108.8 million from 1, 071 foreign patient-tourists who sought medical services here in the country last year.

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Kasal.com thanks the following sources for this article:

Department of Tourism. Philippine Tourism: Stable Amidst a Global Tourism Downturn (in PDF format) Retrieved February 6, 2009 from
http://www.wowphilippines.com.ph/dot/2008YrEnd.pdf

ABS-CBN News. RP tourism growth takes a hit from global crisis (Posted February 4, 2009) Retrieved February 6, 2009 from
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/02/04/09/growth-foreign-tourist-arrivals-down-15-2008

Inquirer.net (Newswire from Agence France-Presse) Tourist arrivals hit 3.14M in 2008 (Posted February 4, 2009) Retrieved February 6, 2009 from
http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20090204-187393/Tourist-arrivals-hit-314M-in-2008

GMA News.tv RP foreign tourist arrivals barely improve in 2008 (Posted February 4, 2009) Retrieved February 6, 2009 from
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/147336/RP-foreign-tourist-arrivals-barely-improve-in-2008

Alave, Kristine L.,Philippine Daily Inquirer. Tourism up; 3.14 million visitors in ’08 (Posted February 5, 2009) Retrieved February 6, 2009 from
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view/20090205-187504/Tourism-up-314-million-visitors-in-08