THE year 2019 is deemed celebratory for Philippine tourism as international visitors reached 8.26 million.
“This heralds a new milestone in the country’s tourism history, breaching the eight millionth mark. Without doubt, our convergence programs with other government agencies, particularly in improving access as well as product development and marketing initiatives with local government and private sector have greatly paid off. These gains we hope to sustain even as we face global challenges,” said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Puyat.
The DOT year-end visitor arrival report showed a 15.24 percent growth over 2018’s year-end figure of 7.16 million. Almost all months, except January, registered double digit growth rates, the largest of which was August at 27.54 percent while December recorded the highest volume at 776,798 foreign arrivals.
Refreshed branding
2019 was the year the DOT launched its refreshed branding campaign. It sustained the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” slogan but re-purposed it to advocate for sustainable tourism.
To complement the new direction towards sustainable tourism, the DOT launched a movement called “Save Our Spots” to call for each individual to be a responsible tourist and encourage the same behavior towards others to preserve the country’s natural and man-made wonders.
The Philippine tourism industry also received a number of international awards and recognition in 2019 such as the World’s Leading Dive Destination at the 2019 World Travel Awards, Asia’s Leading Tourism Board at the 2019 World Travel Awards and Excellent Partner Award (for Sustainable Efforts in Boracay, among others.
“This is a high point for Philippine tourism as it depicts our solidarity and commitment to make tourism work and prove its full potential as a sustainable and inclusive economic activity. The record-breaking numbers solidify the effectiveness of the Tourism Act of 2009, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2019,” Puyat said.
Top markets
Korea remained the top source market with a total of 1.98 million arrivals up 22.48 percent from 2018. The ace spot has been well-guarded since 2010.
China followed closely on second with 1.74 million, boasting of a 38.58 percent growth.
The United States of America (USA) came third. It yielded 1.06 million visitors or a 2.90 percent increase.
Japan is fourth at 682,788 arrivals, with an 8.07 percent growth followed by Taiwan recording an equally impressive double-digit increase of 35.01 percent or 327,273 arrivals.
Rounding up the top 12 visitor markets with their volumes and respective growth rates were Australia with 286,170 (2.27 percent), Canada with 238,850 ((5.48 percent), the United Kingdom with 209,206 (4.06 percent), Singapore with 158,595 arrivals (-7.68 percent), Malaysia with 139,882 (-3.69 percent), India with 134,963 (11.43 percent) and Germany with 103,756 (12.66 percent).
PH a safe destination
Meanwhile, the DOT and the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP), which represents the country’s tourism stakeholders, assured the public, especially the foreign and domestic tourists, that the Philippines remains a safe destination for travel amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
“All preventive and precautionary measures are being put in place by the national government to contain the spread of the Covid-19 including the temporary entry ban for tourists coming from China, its Special Administrative Regions—Hong Kong and Macau—and the 14-day quarantine for Filipinos coming from the said places.
Even before the temporary ban, the DOT said, the tourism sector already implemented safeguards in light of the Covid-19.
Earlier, the DOT released guidelines in handling guests in tourism enterprises during this global emergency.
“In our airports and some tourism establishments, temperature are taken via infrared thermometers before allowing guests to enter, and more hand sanitizers have been made available for use,” the DOT said.
“As we monitor the situation closely, we remind the public to maintain proper hygiene. Wash your hands regularly, wear a surgical mask when going to crowded areas if you have a cough or a cold, and stay indoors or seek medical help if you have a fever,” the agency added.
Value-added tourism products
To mitigate the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis, the tourism sector has agreed to roll-out a tactical program that will offer more value-added tour packages, discounted accommodation rates and marked-down prices for domestic flights, the DOT said.
Likewise, the agency said it will intensify its marketing and promotions domestically and internationally, in key markets such as South Korea, the US and Japan, and opportunity and emerging markets that cover western Europe, the Middle East, Russia and neighboring Southeast Asian countries. (PR)