By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is targeting to increase the total revenues of the tourism sector, from P2.08 trillion in 2015 to P4 trillion by 2022, when President Duterte steps down from Malacañang.
Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo made this disclosure in a media statement released on Thursday, as she welcomed news of a 15-percent jump in inbound visitor receipts to P127.4 billion in the first half of 2016. (See, “Asians are top visitors to PHL from January to June,” in the BusinessMirror, September 1, 2016.)
“We must shoot for the stars and maintain an upward trend in terms of visitor arrivals and revenues, for the benefit of all stakeholders,” she said.
The total revenue target in 2022 includes P922 billion in inbound visitor receipts, and P2.95 trillion in earnings from domestic travelers, according to Tourism Assistant Secretary for Tourism Development Planning Rolando Cañizal in a text message to the BusinessMirror.
The P2.08-trillion revenues in 2015 were accounted for by P307 billion in foreign visitors receipts, and P1.8 trillion in domestic tourists receipts, he explained.
Teo added that the DOT is targetting to attract 12 million foreign visitors by 2022, from 5.4 million in 2015, and encourage 89 million domestic tourists by 2022, from 68 million in 2015.
The agency is trying to encourage some 6 million foreign visitors to come to the Philippines, and some 71 million domestic tourists this year.
Teo stressed that the agency is now focused on developing a highly competitive tourism industry and an inclusive, and sustainable growth.
“From the current 8.2-percent share of the country’s GDP, [we’ll raise [the tourism sector’s share] to 10 percent by 2022,” she said. GDP refers to the amount of finished goods and services produced by a country for a specific period of time.
She noted that the Philippines continues to lag behind Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam, despite being gifted with premier and unparalleled tourism destinations, like fine white- sand beaches and abundant marine life, as well as a naturally hospitable people.
Local tourism stakeholders have consistently pressed the government to address the country’s infrastructure backlog, which prevents more tourists from traveling to many spectacular local destinations, and air-traffic congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. They also point out the safety and security challenges in certain parts of the country, including Metro Manila, which is what foreign visitors usually see first before going to the tourist sites in the provinces.
Latest data from the DOT showed that some 2.98 million foreign tourists visited the country from January to June 2016, up 13 percent from the same period last year.
In June alone, there were 459,138 foreign visitors, a 17.6-percent jump from the arrivals in June 2015. These visitors spent some P21 billion in the country, an increase of 21.2 percent from June 2015. Each foreign tourist spent P5,179.86 per day, or close to P50,000 in June. They also stayed an average of 9.56 nights that month.
South Koreans were the biggest spenders in June, at P6.5 billion; followed by visitors from the United States, at P3.8 billion; China, at P3.53 billion; Japan, at P1.2 billion; and Australia at P870 million.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes