Philippines ‘most popular’ in Asia

THE Philippines was voted the “Most Popular Destination in Asia” at the recent World Travel Fair 2009 in Shanghai, the Tourism Department said yesterday.

The Philippines received the award after a public vote and an evaluation by jurors from the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration and VNU Exhibitions Europe, Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said.

“Our country receiving the highest laurel in Asia’s leading source fair in China is a notable milestone….” Durano said.

He said the Philippines was one of the fastest growing destinations in China’s outbound travel industry, recording a 74-percent growth rate in visa issuances for February. Last year, the Philippines issued 58.5 percent more visas to Chinese visitors.

“We are also the nearest tropical beach country for the Chinese as Manila is only two hours away from Guangzhou, while Cebu is only three hours away from Shanghai,” Durano said, adding the number of chartered flights from China to Cebu and Manila increased by 61 percent last year.

He attributed the Philippines’ victory in Shanghai to its competitive tour pricing, the remarkable progress of its transportation sector, and the Filipinos’ friendliness and hospitality.

The World Travel Fair, known as the outbound travel industry’s leading source fair in Asia, receives thousands of travel buyers from China, Asia and the rest of the world. It features exchanges among more than 500 exhibitors from 62 countries, and this year it was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

“The Chinese travelers rank our country’s beaches and heritage sites high, as proven by the various recognitions they have awarded to our tourist spots,” Durano said.

Beach holidays rank 79 percent among the top leisure activities undertaken by the Chinese, according to an outbound travel study in China. And an International Visitor Survey by the Tourism Department says foreign visitors give the Philippines the highest rank for satisfaction.

Boracay was named the Best Leisure Destination in last year’s Travel Fair, and Bohol was included in the Top 10 Island Getaways for Chinese Summer Travel, Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque said.

He said the Philippines was among the Top 10 Most Searched Destinations by the users of Baidu, the largest search engine in China, which captures 68 percent of the Chinese online market.

Arlene Alipio, head of the Tourism Department’s Team China, said recent statistics from the China National Tourism Administration showed that the number of Chinese travelers increased 14.8 percent to 34.4 million in the first nine months of 2008.

In September alone about 3.7 million Chinese traveled abroad—an increase of 9 percent.–Roderick T. dela Cruz, Manila Standard Today