Tourist arrivals in PH hit record 3.9m in 2011

International visitor arrivals in the Philippines hit a new record high of 3.917 million in 2011, although the figure remains one of the lowest in Southeast Asia.

While the Tourism Department has not released the final tourist count for 2011, President Benigno Aquino III cited in a speech before foreign investors that last year’s number represented a growth of 11.2 percent from 3.52 million arrivals in 2010.

The 2011 figure also surpassed the government’s target visitor arrivals of 3.7 million for the year.

The Tourism Department aims to attract as many as 10 million visitors to the Philippines annually beginning 2016, or at the end of Aquino’s term in Malacañang. The agency set a target of 4.2 million tourists this year.

Countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia have been drawing over 10 million visitors each year.

A comprehensive study by the National Statistical Coordination Board found that for the years 2000 to 2010, the tourism sector contributed about 5.8 percent to the gross domestic product annually.

Its total contribution in 2010 reached P518.5 billion, or up 13 percent from the previous year’s P459 billion, according to the Philippine Tourism Satellite Accounts compiled by the NSCB.

Among the tourism industries, shopping had the largest contribution at 20.3 percent, followed by accommodation with 14.8 percent, and entertainment and recreation with 6.8 percent.

Inbound tourism expenditures, which refer to those of foreign visitors and Philippine passport holders permanently residing abroad, amounted to P109.2 billion in 2010, up 9.6 percent from P99.7 billion recorded in 2009.

The share of tourism employment to total employment in the country is also on the rise, averaging 9.7 percent for the years 2000 to 2010. Employment in tourism industries was estimated at 3.7 million in 2010, up 4.1 percent from 3.5 million in 2009.

Meanwhile, the Survey of Tourism Establishments in the Philippines showed that the country had 1,475 accommodation establishments as of 2009, including 1,317 hotels and motels.

However, only 149 establishments or 10.1 percent were accredited by the Tourism Department.

There were also a total of 2,015 tourism-related establishments in the Philippines as of 2009, including 1,059 establishments involved in amusement and recreational activities. Roderick T. dela Cruz, Manila Standard Today