Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Tourism to surpass 2.5M mark for tourist arrivals in 2005
Tourism Secretary Ace Durano is confident they will surpass their 2.5 million target for tourist arrivals this year despite the growing crisis and the terror threat.
In a press conference in Davao City Saturday, Durano said there is a 12 percent increase in the number of tourist arrivals from January to July and that they had already surpassed the two million mark as of their latest record.
"At the rate we're going, we are confident we can surpass the 2.5 million mark by the end of the year," Durano said during the formal announcement of the Philippines being host to next year's Asean Tourism Forum with Davao City as host.
Asked to compare the country with Malaysia and other neighboring countries in Asia in terms of tourist arrivals, Durano admitted that Philippines is behind other Asian countries.
Durano revealed though that when it comes to cost effectiveness of their promotion, he said that Malaysia spends about $12 for each tourists they get while Philippines only spend $2 to get a tourist to visit the country.
In January next year, the Philippines will host the ATF after Myanmar ceded the chairmanship of the Asean and the privilege to facilitate its culminating event next year.
Since the Philippines is next in line after Myanmar, given that the hosting rotation is in alphabetical order, the country was tapped by the Asean Secretariat to assume the chairmanship next year and automatically take charge of the ATF's staging in 2006.
Davao, the tourism gateway to Southern Philippines, would be the host city for the nine-day travel and trade fair, which will run from January 13 to 21, 2006.
NCCC Mall Convention Center, where the opening ceremony is designated to take place, is undergoing renovations. Marco Polo Hotel, where most of the guests, particularly the VIPs, would be accommodated, is also gearing up its facilities and improving its services.
Sites for the ministerial meetings and conferences are still being finalized. Considered locations are the Davao Convention and Trade Center, Central Bank Auditorium, or the function rooms of other proposed official hotels such as Waterfront Insular Hotel, Grand Regal, The* Royal Mandaya, and Apo View Hotel.
Meanwhile, the venue for the Travel Exchange (Travex), a trade-only mart that offers Asean tourism products and services providers the chance to meet buyers from around the world through scheduled appointments, is still being decided upon.
Choices are now narrowed down between NCCC Mall or Makro. Tourism Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab confirmed: "The travex is one of the more important activities in the ATF and it needs a huge space. We are currently looking to hold it at Makro because it is spacious, new, and well ventilated. The local administration of Makro in Davao is fully amenable to it but they still have to get the final word from their Manila office."
Around 3,000 guests not only from South East Asia, but from all over the world, are expected to flock to the city since the event's objective is to market Asean products to more countries.
Since the region's most important tourism forum was inaugurated in Malaysia in 1981, the Philippines has already served as home to the yearly tourism and travel fair three times; at the PICC in 1988, at SM Megamall in 1993; and in Cebu City in 1998, just in time for the Waterfront Hotel and Casino's opening.
ATF 2006 is deemed to be very advantageous for the islands' local tourism industry, with Davao and the rest of Mindanao as the main beneficiaries. This will certainly create more opportunities, specifically opening more direct flights to Davao from other countries.
ATF is a premier annual regional endeavor, which focuses primarily on the collective interest of member countries to promote the Southeast Asian borough as a major tourist hub. It also involves the tourism industry sectors of Asean's members and private sector organizations. (BOT)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (August 23, 2005 issue)
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