Philippines aims 40% growth from India

For the first time since its promotion in India in 2007, Philippines Tourism has taken the roadshows to two more cities-bengaluru and Chennai-this year to further boost the growth of Indian arrivals to the Philippines.

TT BUREAU Post

the recent move by the Philippines government to boost the entry of Indians in the country, the Philippines is targetting a manifold increase of 40 per cent in arrivals from the India outbound segment. According to the new norm, Indian passport holders with valid multiple visas for the US, Japan, Australia, Canada, Singapore, UK and the Schengen Visa can have a 14-day Visa-free visit to the Philippines.

“The Philippines hopes to achieve a target of 40 per cent growth in the number of Indian arrivals in 2012 as compared to 2011. There has been a 23 per cent increase in the number of Indian tourists to the Philippines this year. The number of visitors who entered the country in 2011 was around 43,000. When it comes to outbound travel, Mumbai ranks first with 26 per cent and Chennai ranks fifth with 16 per cent in the country,” Glen Agustin, Head, Team India, Chief Tourism Operations Officer, Department of Tourism, Philippines said during the roadshow organised by the Philippines Tourism.

Having established itself in the mature markets, the Tourism Board now plans to reach out to Tier-1 and Tier-II cities to boost its presence in the country. “For the first time since our promotion in India in 2007, we have taken the roadshows to Bengaluru and Chennai this year. With its IT industries, the two cities offer a lot of promise. We will target Tier- I and II cities,” Verna CovarBuensuceso, Director, Group Head for Europe, Middle East and India, Department of Tourism, Philippines said.

Going forward, the Philippines Tourism is gearing up to target the business and honeymoon travellers in India. “Our country has unexplored virgin beaches such as Boracay, Bohol, Cebu and Palwan along with well- equipped facilities for MICE. This would be ideal for the honeymooners and corporate events. Business travellers comprise almost 80 per cent of the inbound travel from India and we would like to tap this potential segment,” Agustin added.

“We have seen the number of Indians visiting Philippines growing year to year. We know the value and potential of this market and hence this year, we want to tap more Indian tourists to Philippines,” said Tess Mauricio, Officer-in- Charge, Marketing & Promotions, Department of Tourism, Philippines. “Aggressive advertising and participating in major travel marts across India is high on priority for the Philippines Tourism Board,” added Mauricio.