2007 breakthrough year for Philippines
The year 2007 has been a year of breakthroughs for Philippine tourism, with the number of foreign arrivals breaching the three million mark, the country’s Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano has said.
“Before last year, tourists in the country only numbered 1.7 to 1.9 million,” Durano was quoted saying by the Philippine Inquirer.
He said the tourism department has been focusing on tourist-rich markets in North Asia such as Korea and China.
However, Durano was quoted saying that it was more important to note how tourists infused a whopping US$4.8 billion into the country’s economy last year.
The tourism chief said that before 2004, tourists only spent a total of US$2 billion in the Philippines.
“We are targeting the same markets this year, but with more emphasis on value rather than volume,” Durano was quoted saying, explaining that value meant convincing tourists to spend more money and stay longer in the country.
Durano gave as an example the European market, which he described as one of the country’s best-performing markets in 2007.
“Europeans stay for two to three weeks in the country, spending more than other tourists who stay here for only a number of days.”
Durano said, noting that the Russian market grew by 128 percent in 2007.
“We will be pushing for high-value tourism such as shopping and wellness services,” he added.
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