YES, PH CAN ATTRACT MORE TOURISTS,
BUT...
[
PHOTO -THE PHILIPPINE tourism booth at the Travel Rave
Expo, Sands Expo and Exhibition Center, Singapore. Photo by
Marlet D. Salazar]
MANILA, OCTOBER 29, 2012
(INQUIRER) By Marlet D. Salazar - The country's tourism line that
"It's more fun in the Philippines" is boosted by new data from the World Tourism
Organization.
The date shows international tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 5 percent or
467 million tourists this year with the Asia-Pacific region posting the
strongest gains.
The gains are affirmed by a study conducted by global travel market research
company PhoCusWright which states that Apac is set to gain $357 billion in
travel and tourism in 2013.
The optimism in the Asian travel and tourism industry was shared by industry
leaders and movers during the annual TravelRave 2012 held in Singapore recently.
Neeta Lachmandas, Singapore Tourism Board's assistant chief executive
officer, sees that by the year 2020, the global spend on tourism whether inbound
or outbound will grow by 40 percent.
"It is important for us to create a platform for travel industry leaders and
players and harness the goodness in Asia," she says during the first-day press
conference. "It is equally important to embrace the challenges and because Asian
tourists are different in their own ways, we have to start strategizing and
collaborating."
Growth in SEA
Southeast Asia reported a strong start this year with a growth of 9 percent
and an increase of 3.1 million additional international visitors. Most of these
visitors come from the Americas, Europe and Asia which account for 90 percent of
international arrivals.
TravelRave 2012 was also the venue for the annual ITB Asia's Trade Show for
Asian Travel Market running on its fifth year. The dynamic travel market is
evident with a significant increase of 15 percent from last year among
participants from 72 countries.
"We saw a double-digit growth in all segments of the show," says Martin Buck,
vice president, Messe Berlin Singapore (MSB), organizer of ITB Asia.
DAVID Scowsill, president and CEO of World Travel and Tourism Council. Photo
by Marlet D. Salazar
The Philippines' Department Tourism (DOT), together with a couple of travel
agencies participated in the travel expo held at The Sands Expo and Exhibition
Center, Marina Bay Sands. The agencies, Ang's Travel and Tours, Pan Pacific
Travel Corp., and Shroff International Travel Care Inc., hoped to attract the
wholesale and retail market.
However, if the Philippines wants the share of the pie of Asian tourism's
multibillion dollar earnings, the government needs to work on having direct
flights to prime tourist destinations. Majority of the foreigners randomly asked
by SundayBiz the reason why they don't visit the Philippines replied, "You don't
have direct flights to Cebu, or Palawan, or Boracay. It's a bit of a hassle to
go to Manila then change planes."
ITB Asia posted 865 exhibiting companies that needed an increase of 13
percent in gross floor space and 17 percent increase in net floor space compared
to last year which was held in Suntec, Singapore.
Visa simplification
[PHOTO -DAVID Scowsill, president and CEO of World Travel and Tourism
Council. Photo by Marlet D. Salazar]
Buck also reported that ITB Asia had already sold out as early as five months
ahead of the schedule with the top four industry sectors well-represented in the
show: hotels and resorts, tour operators, tourism organizations and
associations, and travel agencies as well as business travel and MICE (meetings,
incentives, conventions and exhibitions).
David Scowsill, president and CEO of World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC),
says "WTTC is forecasting growth for the overall region of almost 6 percent in
2012 which is triple the growth of Europe. There are variations within the
region with strength in China, India, Indonesia and the Philippines compensating
for the weaker growth in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand, but the
overall picture is one of dramatic growth over both the short-term and
long-term."
He added that in 10 years, there shall be a 9- to 10-percent growth in the
industry creating about 328 million jobs. For the travel industry to flourish
even more, governments and players need to focus on addressing challenges such
as taxation, visas and sustainability.
He encouraged government agencies to simplify visa applications. "We want
electronic visas and visas on arrival," he says. "The United States lost $600
billion (in tourism) in the last 10 years due to visa refusal."
MAC drives growth
Lachmandas adds that the mass affluent class (MAC) or high-end mass market
especially those from China, India and Indonesia generate more outbound travel
posting $300 billion. "There is a huge appetite for travel," she says. "And this
opens for more opportunities."
TravelRave 2012 also provided a venue for movers and players to engage in
dynamic conferences that tackled the challenges, changes, and even evolutions
concerning the travel industry.
The high-level "Asia Travel Leaders Summit" saw industry leaders from hotel
groups and business travel sharing insights on how they as competitors make the
industry more vibrant to lure more and more visitors in Asia. The "Tourism
Destination Investment Conference" explored the development of tourism
infrastructure in the region with special conference on "Hotel Technology."
The fifth annual "Aviation Outlook" focused on market opportunities
especially now that budget airlines provide opportunities for more travelers who
could not travel before because of steep cost of airfare.
TravelRave is an annual travel festival initiated by the Singapore Tourism
Board. This year's week-long expo is in partnership with Messe Berlin Singapore,
Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore and Questex Media Group.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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rights reserved
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