A February 4, 2011 press release prepared by the Department of Tourism
The Department of Tourism offices in China and top tour operators in the Philippines report that there are close to 3,500 Chinese citizens going to the Philippines for the Spring Festival week, with arrivals within the first week of February 2011.
Philippine Consular and Tourism offices in China are open despite the long Spring Festival holiday because of continued bookings and applications for visa issuances for travel to the Philippines.
Among the top-selling Philippine destinations this year are Boracay and Cebu, with the new available chartered flights to Kalibo direct from Shanghai and Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China.
Arrivals from China posted a 20.9% increase in 2010, while Hong Kong and Taiwan posted 8.9% and 39.29% increases in arrivals, respectively.
The uptrend is a positive indication of renewed confidence from this source market which comprised more than 13% of the total tourist arrivals to the Philippines in 2010.
This market is anticipated to push continued growth as activities are undertaken to reposition the country as a safe and secure tourist destination.
As a gesture of goodwill for the tour groups, the DOT is providing tourist assistance services for their pleasant stay in the country.
PDF