THE Department of Tourism (DoT) said on Wednesday that it is focusing its efforts on South Korea, the US, and Japan due to restrictions on issuing visas to Chinese nationals.
“With a more stringent visa policy towards Chinese travelers, I don’t think we can expect a flourishing market from that jurisdiction,” Tourism Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina G. Frasco told reporters on the sidelines of an event.
The Philippines is currently embroiled in a territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea.
“That is why the DoT, respectful of these realities on the ground, is actively pursuing (promotional activities in) our top source markets, including South Korea, the US, and Japan,” she said.
Ms. Frasco added that the DoT sees the India market as a “massive opportunity.”
The industry is projecting demand for 456,055 hotel rooms by 2028, according to the Philippine Hotel Industry Strategic Action Plan 2023 -2028, prepared by the DoT and the Philippine Hotel Owners Association, Inc.
Ms. Frasco noted “challenges” in meeting the projections “in light of external factors that include geopolitical stresses upon these arrivals, over which we have little control.”
She also noted that Philippine visa policy is less liberal compared to its Association of Southeast Asian Nations neighbors.
“That is why we continue to advocate for a liberalized visa system to be instituted by the Department of Foreign Affairs in partnership with the Bureau of Immigration,” she said.
Ms. Frasco added that the President’s order to establish an electronic visa system could unlock markets like India. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante
