THE slowdown in the economic growth of China is the main reason its citizens have not been traveling abroad, especially to the Philippines.
Following the announcement of the new electronic visa (e-visa) system to be pilot-tested in China starting August 24, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Henry Bensurto Jr. of the Office of Consular Affairs said, “If you look at the overall economic picture of China, including the projections in the growth rate from 7 percent, it has gone down to 5 [percent], and you have more than 23-percent unemployment among the young generation…the traveling generation.”
This has made travel “a luxury” for many Chinese citizens, he added, in a recent news conference. “And then because of the unemployment and the zero-tolerance in terms of Covid that has stunted the growth of many businesses and investments…the sum effect of that would be the reduction in [outbound tourists].” The insights, he underscored, were picked up by Philippines Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz in his discussions with Chinese travel agencies and tour operators.
Many economists and policymakers had earlier projected the revival of the Chinese economy after Beijing lifting Covid restrictions in December, but instead, investments there have become sluggish, exports are decreasing, and producer prices are dropping.
Game changer
The Department of Tourism (DOT) welcomed the e-visa system for Chinese nationals, hoping this will help reach its goal of 4.8-million inbound arrivals this year. Prior to the pandemic, the Philippines attracted 1.7 million Chinese visitors, making the market the second largest after South Korea in 2019. From January to July 26, there were just 137,822 tourists from China, although the DFA said it had only issued 48,000 visitor visas in the first half of the year.
In a news statement, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco described the e-visa system “a game changer in the Chinese market, which currently prefers other Southeast Asian destinations such as Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia.” She said the other destinations allow Chinese tourists to acquire their visas upon arrival, thus speeding up those countries’ tourism recovery.
Bensurto said, aside from the e-visa platform, Chinese citizens can still apply for a visitor visa “in person” at the Philippines’s foreign service posts around China, or through DOT-accredited Philippines-China tour operators.
‘Multi-layered safety nets’
The DFA tried to allay concerns that undesirable tourists, such as illegal workers, could enter the Philippines using the e-visa platform, by citing “multi-layered safety nets,” that include security questions, submission of documents, and highly-trained visa officers. “In addition [to security questions, we ask] not one document, but several documents. And then once there is still that lack of confidence, we still have that interview as another safety net. What is not reflected here and what often happens on the bottom, is the intense training, the intense retooling of our people and the sharing of best practices. And so an analyst or visa officer must have must have the eye, must have the instinct, must have the skills to do this and integrate all of the information,” said Bensurto.
Under the e-visa platform, the DFA stressed all applications will be reviewed by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency. (See, “DFA to issue e-visas to Chinese tourists August 24,” in the BusinessMirror, July 27, 2023.)
The Department of Justice said last year there were around 40,000 undocumented Chinese workers in Philippine Offshore Gaming Offices. A DOT-attached agency also reported more than 27,000 Chinese retirees in the Philippines, majority of whom were just 35 years old, raising lawmakers’ concerns over national security. (See, “Gordon raises alarm on rising number of Chinese retirees in the PHL,” in the BusinessMirror, October 19, 2020.)
If the pilot test goes well, the DFA will be rolling out the e-visa platform to other countries. The DOT has asked that India also be among the first countries to use the e-visa system as the country is considered a key growth market.
Image credits: DOT