CHINESE tourists continued to lift the total foreign visitor arrivals in the Philippines, helping overcome the sluggish South Korean market in the 11 months to November 2018.
Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed foreign visitors rising by 7.2 percent to 6.44 million from January to November 2018, mainly powered by the 30-percent growth in Chinese tourists, which reached 1.16 million.
The 11-month performance, however, is a firm indication the DOT will likely miss its 7.4 million arrivals target for 2018. While December is usually considered a peak season for travel to and around the Philippines, the country would have had to attract at least 960,000 foreign tourists in December to be able to hit said goal.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat earlier admitted the 2018 arrivals target would likely not be reached, given the six-month closure of Boracay, and predicted the yearend performance at “possibly 7.2 million.” Even then, arrivals last December would have had to reach 760,000 to hit 7.2 million. On a monthly basis, foreign visitor arrivals averaged 580,000, with the highest at 732,000 attained in January 2018.
The difficulty in hitting the inbound arrivals target is due, for one, to the lagging South Korean market, which slipped by 2.7 percent to some 1.42 million during the 11-month period in 2018. South Koreans have been bypassing the Philippines, not only due to the closure of Boracay, but also because of personal safety concerns. The Embassy of South Korea in Manila has repeatedly raised the issue of the killings of its citizens in the country.
The market continues to be a top source for tourists at 22.03 percent in the 11-month period, although this was lower than the 24.3-percent share it accounted for in the same period in 2017.
In second place was China, with a market share of some 18 percent, an improvement from its 14.8-percent share in 2017. In third place was the United States, which sent 929,808 tourists, up 8.12 percent from the same period in 2017; followed by Japan at 577,955 (+7.9 percent); and Australia at 242,827 (+6.64 percent).
Taiwan, while ranking sixth among the top sources for tourists for the Philippines, saw a 0.23-percent dip to 221,365. A public opinion survey by a private foundation in Taiwan indicated that the Philippines is the second most hated country after North Korea, but failed to indicate the source of the disgruntlement. The last known diplomatic issue between Taipei and Manila was the accidental shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by members of the Philippine Coast Guard in 2013.
Other major tourism markets for the Philippines last year were Canada at 196,768 (up 12.07 percent); the United Kingdom at 179,261 (+9.72 percent); Singapore 158,011 (+2.74 percent); Malaysia 133,625 (+1.23 percent); India 112,919 (+14 percent); and Hong Kong 110,040 (+7.8 percent).
Tourism authorities project an increase in Indian tourists this year with the resumption of direct flights by Philippine Airlines to New Delhi this April. The DOT considers India a key growth market due to its strong historical and cultural ties with the Philippines. Many Indian families settled in the Philippines after centuries of trading. There is some scientific research that indicates as many as 1 million Filipinos have Indian ancestry. The DOT has requested the Department of Justice to give Indian tourists visas upon their arrival in the country.
Image credits: Henry Empeño