Cebu ranks 2nd in country: DOT
CEBU ranked as the second most visited tourist destination in the country from January to June this year, Department of Tourism (DOT) records say.
The province registered 830,599 local and foreign visitors for the first semester this year, which is a 2.3 percent growth from the same period last year.
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Among the top 16 tourist destinations in the country, Cebu had the highest volume of foreign visitors after posting 321,116 guests in the first semester.
The DOT attributed this growth to the expansion in air access from major tourist markets, including the new charter flights from Incheon, Busan, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Kaohsiung.
Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, in a statement, also attributed the positive figures to the increase in room supply, aggressive promotion, as well as public and private sector partnership geared towards diversifying tourism products.
Cebu came next to Camarines Sur that recorded the highest tourist volume or 902,202 visitors, indicating a 194 percent growth from the same period last year.
The DOT said that the investment of the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur in a wakeboarding tourism product stimulated visitor volume and bolstered demand for more accommodations, tour services and transportation.
Tourist arrivals in the top 16 tourism destinations went up by 16.5 percent reaching close to four million in the first semester of 2009 amid the global financial crisis and the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic.
More locals
“This is attributed to the substantial increase in domestic tourism by 20 percent in the second quarter of 2009,” the DOT said.
Of the 3.99 million total tourist arrivals in the country’s top 16 destinations, the biggest chunk or 2.97 million visitors are locals.
Foreign arrivals in key destinations also increased by six percent in the first half of the year despite a decrease of six percent of visitors coming to East Asia and the Pacific, the DOT added.
The other most frequently visited tourist destinations were Boracay (383,813 visitors), Davao (330,247 visitors), Puerto Galera (215,755 visitors) and Ilocos Norte (99,747 visitors).
The positive growth in tourist volume prompted the DOT to encourage more entrepreneurs to create new products and experiences for visitors.
Cebu ranks 2nd in country: DOT
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