Women’s group slams ‘sex tourism’ thrust

AN ALLY of President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday slammed the Tourism Department’s marketing strategy of luring “divorcees and the broken-hearted” to the country, saying it was actually promoting sex tourism.

The department is practically selling Filipino women as “comfort women,” according to Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan.

“The Department of Tourism is treading on dangerous waters,” she said.

“We want to lure foreign tourists, but marketing the Philippines as a destination for divorcees is practically synonymous with marketing the Philippines as a destination for sex tourists.”

Assistant Tourism Secretary Benito Bengzon said late Tuesday his department was not promoting the Philippines as a haven for divorcees.

“Our focus is to promote the Philippines to long-staying tourists and retirees,” he said.

Bengzon had recently said that sex tourism wasn’t part of the department’s program.

“The Philippines is a very wholesome destination,” he said.

Ilagan said Tourism officials had announced that the department was targeting divorcees and those trying to recover from broken relationships.

“How exactly does the Tourism Department envision its role in promoting our country?” said Ilagan, the author of the controversial divorce bill in Congress.

“You cannot promote the country as a place to comfort … the broken hearted without bringing in Filipino women in the equation.

“We have so many tourism destinations to promote and develop. Let us focus on our pristine coastlines, our rivers and our mountains. We have so many natural environmental wonders and resources for the Department of Tourism to promote.”

Earlier Tuesday, the Tourism Department said it expected 500,000 more foreign tourists to visit next year as a result of the government’s continuing promotion in its key markets such as Korea, China and the United States.

Tourism Undersecretary Daniel Corpuz told the first Manila Tourism Forum that the Philippines was eyeing 4.2 million foreign visitors and 30.7 million domestic travelers next year, generating over P1.2 trillion in revenues in 2012 or about 5.98 percent of the gross domestic product.

Next year’s targets compare with the 3.7 million foreign visitors, 28.7 million domestic travelers, and P1.125 trillion revenues being eyed this year.

The Tourism Department also expects tourism-related employment to increase to 3.9 million next year from 3.8 million this year.

“This is a good target for us, but this is anchored on improving key access to the country, diversifying our products, and integrating our strong marketing programs and addressing issues on governance—particularly in maintaining international standards both on tourism facilities and services,” Corpuz said.

He said the Philippines would continue to focus on Korea, China and the US as key markets next year.

The Tourism Department had earlier reported that the foreign tourists visiting the Philippines rose 12 percent to 2.9 million in the first nine months of the year.

Korea remained the country’s top tourist market as 686,901 travelers from that country visited the Philippines during the period, accounting for almost 24 percent of the total tourist count and topping the previous year’s nine-month arrivals by 29 percent.

The United States came next with 466,767 visitors who comprised 16 percent of the total.

Japan, China and Taiwan accounted for 10 percent, 6 percent, and 5 percent of the total tourist count. –Christine F. Herrera and Jeremiah F. de Guzman, Manila Standard Today