Philippines eyes Tier-II cities in India
R Glen Agustin, Chief Tourism Operations Officer, India Market Development Group, Philippine Department of Tourism, talks about how Indian travellers to the Philippines have been growing and how they are now focussing on other cities like Kolkata, Bengalu
How was the response from Indian travellers to Philippines in 2013?
In 2013, we had 52,206 travellers from India, in 2014 we hope to grow more.
What are your plans for 2014?
We will expand our participation in fairs and organise more FAM trips. Apart from Mumbai and Delhi, we are trying to tap other cities like Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
In the first week of August we will be hosting roadshows in South India. We are also participating in Locations, a film tourism event, to gain the support and encourage the Films Development Council of the Philippines to participate in Locations.
How has the ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ campaign helped attract Indian travellers to the
country?
The campaign tries to distinguish the Filipino trait of being a fun loving nation from the rest of Asia. In 2011, we launched this campaign and it has helped us a lot in branding the Philippines as a fun destination and also to attract Indian travellers.
Connectivity is an issue when it comes to promoting the Philippines in India, how do you intend to tackle this?
Connectivity issues are certainly a challenge. In June 2013, we had Philippine Airlines pulling out of Delhi. Fortunately, other carriers have taken on the challenge and improved connectivity from the Philippines. They have also improved the number of flights from weekly to daily. Malaysian Airlines, Cathay Pacific with Dragonair, SilkAir with Singapore Airlines, are helping us in a big way.
Do you see any improvement in visa issues?
The visa scene for Indian travellers is much better in the Philippines than any other ASEAN countries. We allow visa-free entry for Indians who hold a valid and current AJACSSUK - US, Japanese, Australian, Canadian, Schengen, Singapore or UK visa or permanent resident permit. We are also working with the Philippines embassy in India and the bureau of immigration to make the country a more accessible destination for vacationers.
Are you also targetting the MICE crowd?
Apart from the family crowd, we are also ready for the incentive travel movement. The MICE travellers are also responsible for the growth in tourism figures. In the past, we only had small groups but now we are getting more and are growing in terms of specialists focussing on Indian travellers. We also hosted the OTOAI Convention in December 2013 and we want to host more such meets in the Philippines.