Foreign arrivals up 19.5% in 2010 despite travel alerts

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the spate of negative travel advisories on the Philippines, the number of foreigners who entered the country through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals alone from January to December 2010 soared to more than 3.4 million, up by almost 20 percent compared to those who arrived in 2009, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

Immigration officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma said arrivals totaled 3,451,668 in 2010, or 19.5 percent higher than the 2,887,303 who came to the country in the previous year.

Ledesma said the negative advisories by foreign governments warning their citizens against going to the Philippines did not have any impact at all.

He said foreign arrivals even peaked during the last quarter of the year, when most of the advisories were issued due to alleged threats of terror attacks in the country.

BI records showed that from 188,028 foreign visitor arrivals last September, the number increased steadily to 204,779 in October, 218,482 in November, and 265,651 in December.

“These numbers send a very clear message that the confidence of the international community in the Philippines and the government of President Aquino is very strong,” Ledesma said. “No amount of alleged or perceived terror threats can shake or erode that confidence.”

He noted that the BI statistics are consistent with the tourism department’s target of 3.3 million tourist arrivals in 2010. The number pertains to all international travelers, including tourists, investors, expatriates, students, and balikbayans who acquired foreign citizenship.

BI Immigration Regulation Division chief Alberto Braganza said that of the 3.4 million foreigners who came last year, about 80 percent or 2.7 million arrived at the NAIA, while the rest were admitted in other ports such as Mactan, Clark and Davao.

Braganza added that 3.47 million Filipinos also arrived from abroad last year, 12 percent higher than the 3.1 million who returned in 2009. – Evelyn Macairan –Rudy Santos (The Philippine Star)