Panglao Island
Until recently, Panglao Island has stolen some of the glitters of the world-famous Boracay Island.... Read moreFriday, 27 March 2009 07:25
Amazing Coron
Coron, a town in the Busuanga Island in Northern Palawan, can charm even the most insensitive among... Read moreFriday, 27 March 2009 07:28
Banaue Rice Terraces
Traversing the rugged terrains of Cordillera highlands in a span of one week is an adventure in... Read moreFriday, 27 March 2009 07:29
Wonderful Palawan
The exotic beauty of Palawan remains undefiled. Branded as the country's last frontier, Palawan is a... Read moreFriday, 27 March 2009 07:29
Captivating Guimaras
Nueva Valencia, Guimaras - An Italian couple on a two-month holiday in the Philippines chose to... Read moreFriday, 27 March 2009 07:29
Boracay Paradise
Widely known as one of the finest swimming destinations in the world, Boracay is blessed with... Read moreFriday, 27 March 2009 07:30
Prospects for Tourism |
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International visitor arrivals to the Philippines are expected to increase by 8 to 10 percent in 2007, according to Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano. Such growth forecast would match the 8.4 percent increase in arrivals in 2006, which was a record year for tourism, Durano added. Data show that the number of foreign guests who visited Philippine destinations reached a record high of 2.84 million last year, up from 2.62 million in 2005. The 2006 figure, however, was below the Department of Tourism’s target of 3 million foreign tourists for the year.Originally, the government was targeting to draw 3 million visitors in 2006, 3.4 million in 2007, 3.88 million in 2008, 4.42 million in 2009 and 5 million in 2010. Sources in the DOT, however, said the specific arrival targets for 2007 to 2009 were dropped after missing the 2006 target. But just the same, they said, the goal is to attract 5 million visitors by 2010. Despite the increase in arrivals in 2006, the country's tourism receipts from the entry of foreign tourists, fell 6.9 percent year-on-year in 2006 based on constant 1985 prices. At current prices, travel exports went down 1.1 percent to PhP120.874 billion in 2006 from PhP122.242 billion in 2005. National Statistical Coordination Board secretary general Romulo Virola linked this to the strong peso, whose appreciation against the US dollar reduced the growth of the peso value of foreign inflows such as tourism receipts. Just the same, Durano described 2006 as a good year for Philippine tourism and said prospects for 2007 are even better, with the expected completion of new resorts and accommodation facilities that will bring the total number of hotel rooms to about 18,000 by yearend. The hotel and restaurant sector expanded 6.1 percent year-on-year in 2006. At current prices, the sector's contribution to the economy grew 10.6 percent to P106.029 billion in 2006 from P95.851 billion in 2005. Employment in hotels and restaurants grew by more than 42,000 jobs or 2.6 percent to 913,000 as of October 2006 from just 871,000 a year ago. Durano said the passage of a P1.5 billion budget for DOT in 2007 and the expected enactment of the Tourism Bill will be good for the industry. "Congress, both the House of Representatives and the Senate, is doing its part to contribute to the president's 10-point agenda, which includes tourism development as a means to accelerate employment generation. They have shown this not only through the Tourism Bill, which both chambers filed with their respective versions, but also through the bigger allocation for DOT in the 2007 national budget," he said. Senator Richard Gordon, the main proponent of the Tourism Bill in the upper chamber, said tourism means jobs for Filipino people. "The industry has an immense impact on an economy. Every foreign tourist spends 50,000 pesos in shopping, eating, touring and staying at resorts. On an average year, 2.6 million foreign tourists give our economy P130 billion. That P130 billion generates jobs across the board, from the ordinary street vendor to the hotel magnate," Gordon said. Roderick T. dela Cruz
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