TOURISM in PINAS

[grabehbebe]

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Nearly 1m tourists visited RP in 4 months

Nearly one million international travelers visited the Philippines in just four months, according to the Department of Tourism.

Data from the Tourism Research and Statistics Division of the Office of Tourism Development Planning showed that foreign visitor arrivals hit 965,853 from January to April this year.

The figure was 113,270 or 13.3 percent higher than 852,583 arrivals recorded during the same period last year.

This included the 50,842 arrivals of Filipino workers overseas, which went up by 34.6 percent from 37,786 arrivals a year earlier.

Visitor arrivals grew at this pace despite the political turbulence that hogged the headlines in the first quarter of the year.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said as a result of increased tourist arrivals, hotels had been enjoying high occupancy rates while tourist establishments were employing more people this year.

Durano said he was optimistic that total visitor arrivals would top three million in 2006, up by 400,000 from 2.6 million in 2005.

Data showed that in April alone, international arrivals grew 14.1 percent to 238,941 from 209,381 a year ago.

It was also the highest figure since January this year, when the volume of arrivals jumped 22.1 percent to a record-high 268,818.

The largest groups of foreign visitors in April were from the United States, South Korea, Japan, China, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada, United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany and Malaysia.

The United States remained the top market for Philippine tourism as the volume of American visitors climbed 20.3 percent to 53,369 in April, outpacing the 14.4 percent increase in visitor arrivals from South Korea to 34,180.

In the first four months of the year, arrivals from the US were up 10.2 percent to 202,880 while arrivals from Korea rose 24.5 percent to 183,883.

News from:http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?...s03_may31_2006


It is never been a hindrance between our neighbor countires to visit Pinas after all this negative "thing" they've heard about us.

This news only proves that Pinas is still one of their priorities when they had a chanceÂ* Â*to relax and unwine themselves.... Not a bad choice, because, aside from hospitable and beautifulÂ* people, Pinas has alot to offer in terms nature and environment.... :mrgreen:

[digitalsuperman]

how about cebu?

[Nezumix22]

After all, Filipinos are known all over the world for the hospitality, and accomodation diba? We can't eat our food unless the visitor has finished eating ryt? hehehe..

Anyway this is quickly becoming one of the biggest sources of dollars next to nurses and OFWs and the foreign investments.. as we've read and heard in the news, the peso isn't as strong as it was a few months back..

And I guess tourism is the only business here sa Pinas that has an optimistic outlook this year..

[baron]

As what Nezumix had said, with the hospitality we have, coupled with the beauty of our nature all over the country and add our great historical landmarks, we can really go far with our tourism. A positive look is always at hand. More so, I heard one of the projects of the DOT is to advertise on our neighboring countries through the use of public buses. As such, there is easier access to information and advertisement on what our country can offer to the tourists.

Hopefully, we'll get more tourists whole year round.

[lalakingbisdak]

Gooddie!

[blackwidow]

That's a very good News!
But I'd like to share an experience with you folks about one of our best beaches in the Philippines, Boracay.
I've been going to Boracay every now and then until about 2 years ago. I have seen it's boundless and breathtaking beauty which was the reason for always going back.
We used to be able to walk for miles and miles in the sand (not just the shore) but everywhere except by the market place. There were garbage bins everywhere that dropping a single trash would make you feel you've sinned. It was just extra ordinarily clean.
More than 2 years and a half, less than 3, my brother went there with GMA (as part of her entourage) and said it was still beautiful and clean. But he went back months after (without GMA now) all was different.
So as I have mentioned, I was back there 2 years ago (more likely my last) and I LITERALLY cried. It was filty, plastic bags everywhere, cigarette butts --- bottles, all the usual stuff of trash we see around. Do you know what was/is so heartbreakingly painful about it? It is our countrymen trashing the place. It was clean when there was not a lot of local tourist yet. I am just saddened why we cannot love our country other nationals do with theirs.
Now I lived at the PMA in Baguio for some time too. The place is very clean as well. There are a lot of school fieldtrips, excursions by students, employess from all walks of life. When they come, the buses are lined up on the sides of the main streets. I would be shaking my head in disbelief as I drive by and would always see trash on the ground thrown from the windows of these buses. I would always also pull over, stand on the ground where the trash are and call out for those passengers to get their trash!
I love our country, believe me, we have a beautiful one. I always feel I'm in paradise when I'm back there. But we have to do our part. I know we are in distraught with our economic situation these days, but we still have something beautiful to appreciate and value around. We have beautiful people( I don't just mean physically), beautiful culture and natural resources. Let's help keep it beautiful. If each one of us will do our part in keeping our trash (until we find a trash can or get home), in time you will see the impact of the little gestures you've done to keep our land beautiful.
Now I'm wondering. Is that too hard to do?

[lalakingbisdak]

Murag mostly Cebu man ang ila destination.

[wanderlust]

After all, Filipinos are known all over the world for the hospitality, and accomodation diba? We can't eat our food unless the visitor has finished eating ryt? hehehe..

Anyway this is quickly becoming one of the biggest sources of dollars next to nurses and OFWs and the foreign investments.. as we've read and heard in the news, the peso isn't as strong as it was a few months back..

And I guess tourism is the only business here sa Pinas that has an optimistic outlook this year..

Well, the agriculture sector has recovered this year and is a main driver of our 5.5 GNP, together with the robust BPO sector. I think that tourism will indeed be better this year as out tourism department step up their efforts in advertising.

They should really clean up Boracay. It's overcrowded, overcommercialized, and filthy nowadays. But there are many other white-sand beaches in the Philippines that tourists haven't heard much of yet. The local government should exert efforts towards the preservation of Boracay, while our tourism department should also step up advertising on other beaches which are as yet largely undiscovered by tourists.

[blackwidow]

Very true bitaw nga we have a lot more of those beautiful beaches. Ang pait ani it's a world-renowned beach! Wala pa na na erase nga reputation. Murag ulaw kaayo jud when those visitors go... Ma reflect dayon sa ato. May ra ba unta ug moingon ra na boracaynons, ang pait kay filipinos ra ba. WAAAAAaaa

[confused_person]

pirmi man tingali na limpyohan ang bora...