DOT: Record number of tourists arriving in PHL
The Department of Tourism (DOT) said the number of tourists arriving in the Philippines is at an all-time high: nearly 800,000 in the first two months of this year alone.
In an interview with GMA News Online, Evelyn Macayayong, DOT’s marketing communications officer, said 772,989 tourists arrived in the country during the first two months of 2012.
The figure is an all-time high.
According to Macayayong, January was the first time the country reached the 400,000 mark for any given month.
During the same period last year, DOT data showed that there were only 668,625 tourists who came to the country.
On Friday, in an interview on GMA News TV's "News To Go," Assistant Secretary Benito Bengzon said the tourist influx into the country during the months of January and February increased by about 15 percent from the same period last year
In an interview with GMA News Online, Evelyn Macayayong, DOT’s marketing communications officer, said 772,989 tourists arrived in the country during the first two months of 2012.
The figure is an all-time high.
According to Macayayong, January was the first time the country reached the 400,000 mark for any given month.
During the same period last year, DOT data showed that there were only 668,625 tourists who came to the country.
On Friday, in an interview on GMA News TV's "News To Go," Assistant Secretary Benito Bengzon said the tourist influx into the country during the months of January and February increased by about 15 percent from the same period last year
He said the improvement is partly a result of the new tourism campaign “It’s more fun in the Philippines!” launched in January this year.
“The campaign helped in creating awareness. It created buzz. Maraming naging interesado sa mga in-o-offer natin,” Bengzon said.
Asians comprise the most number of tourists who visit the country. The top tourists are nationals from Korea, China, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, Macayayong said.
On medical and sex tourism
Bengzon said the department implements a plan called the “National Tourism Development Plan,” a tourism platform from 2011 to 2016 which indicates tourism products the country has to offer such as medical tourism, adventure tourism, and heritage and culture.
Medical tourism is one of the reasons for the tourist influx. Bengzon said many visit the country for body enhancements, facial treatment, nail art, and wellness.
“Bukod sa mura dito, mas marunong mag-alaga ang Pilipino,” he said.
Bengzon admitted there are sex tourists in the country but claimed that they are negligible. In remarks that created a media firestorm last year, US Ambassador Harry Thomas asserted that a 40 percent of male tourists visit the country for sex.
Macayayong said the DOT projects about 4.6 million visitors this year. - VVP/HS, GMA News
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