Image via WikipediaAn April 13, 2011 press release prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs
The Philippine Embassy in Beijing has reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that Department of Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim is in Beijing from April 10 to 13 to promote the Philippines in China’s outbound travel market. He arrived with a delegation of more than a dozen Filipino travel and tours operators.
In his meeting with his counterpart, China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) Chairman Shao Qi Wei, on April 11 at the CNTA headquarters in central Beijing, Secretary Lim stated that China is a “very important market for Philippine tourism”, and that “the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino is working hard to improve infrastructure, facilities, and services in preparation for the arrival of more Chinese tourists.”
The number of Chinese travelers to the Philippines topped 200,000 in 2010, posting an annual growth of 18 percent and making it one of the fastest-growing markets for Philippine tourism.
Secretary Lim told Chairman Shao that the Philippine Government is hoping to double the number of tourist arrivals in the Philippines from 3 million to 6 million by 2016. He expects that China, as a close neighbor of the Philippines with the largest number of outbound tourists in the region, will be a key source of these arrivals.
Secretary Lim also briefed Chairman Shao on the open-skies policy of the Aquino administration, more relaxed visa policies and measures to assure and enhance the safety of tourists in the country. He emphasized that the Philippine government is paying attention to the contributions of the tourism industry to the agenda of generating employment.
It is estimated that with rising incomes in China, the country’s outbound travelers is expected to reach 100 million by 2020. By this time, it shall have become the strongest source of tourists in Asia and the world.
A Boston-based consulting company estimates that by 2020 a quarter of all international travelers arriving in Japan and South Korea will come from China, while arrivals from China in Europe will quadruple.
In North America, Chtnese travelers will rank third among international arrivals. On average, there will be 25 million first-time Chinese travelers every year for the next 10 years.
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