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Nearly
1 million foreign tourists visit RP in just four 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 DOT's 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 overseas Filipinos,
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 that as a result
of increased tourist arrivals, hotels have been enjoying
high occupancy rates while tourist establishments have
been employing more people this year.
Durano said he is 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 were up 24.5 percent to 183,883.
Volume of arrivals from Japan grew 8.3 percent to 150.170
while arrivals from China posted the highest growth
of 64.3 percent to 43,511.
By region, East Asia remained the largest market, with
the number of tourists from this area rising 14.1 percent
to 449,598 or 46.5 percent of the total.
Arrivals from North America went up by 10.2 percent
to 231,670 or 24 percent of the total.
Visitors from Southeast Asia reached 62,143 or 6.4 percent
of the total; Australia/Pacific, 47,996 or 5 percent;
Western Europe, 42,771 or 4.4 percent; Northern Europe,
37,251 or 3.9 percent; South Asia, 10,315 or 1.1 percent;
Middle East, 9,891 or 1 percent; Southern Europe, 7,876
or 0.8 percent; Eastern Europe, 4,888 or 0.5 percent;
South America, 973 or 0.1 percent; and Africa, 741 or
0.1 percent. Roderick T. dela Cruz, Manila Standard
Today
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