The Philippines

THE Philippines is bouncing back from a number of natural disasters in 2013, with Infinity Holidays reporting “modest growth” in bookings from Australian travellers. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the archipelago in October 2013, followed weeks later by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. Coming at a time where tourism was emerging as a key economic driver, the disasters delivered a blow to the industry. But Infinity product specialist Asia Judy Anglim said the region is now making a comeback, albeit at a “slower rate” than previous years. While bookings for late 2014 were more subdued than the same time in 2013, the Philippines was last year named among Infinity’s top ten selling destinations in November. “What has been pleasing to see is that we have seen a pick-up in bookings for November. We are also seeing a nice pick-up in sales for the first six months of 2015,” she said. With sales expected to gain further momentum in 2015, Infinity is set to increase its range of accommodation in Manila, Boracay, Bohol and Palawan around the Puerto Princesa areas. The wholesaler is also preparing for the launch of its first stand alone brochure next month, featuring 16 pages of dedicated Philippines content and nine new properties. “It is an exciting time for the Philippines and our brochure shows our confidence in supporting growth to this area of Asia,” Anglim told travelbulletin. However, Anglim said the Filipino tourism industry was still in its infancy and there was still “some way to go” for the destination to compete with the likes of Thailand and Bali. “In order for more growth there is still much work to be done to increase awareness. There is also the need for sharp airfares to compete with Thailand and Bali. But it is very encouraging to see change… [and] all this will help to lift the public perception of what the Philippines has to offer,” she concluded.