Tourism dept. records over 5M tourists in 2023

CNN Philippines

Revenge travel is real as the country records more than 5-million tourist arrivals this year, better than expected.  And as Paige Javier tells us, the Tourism department is setting a higher target for 2024.  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 Luke Anthony Piper, an Australian, looks forward to seeing more of the Philippines on his second visit.

00:06 So I decided to come back for a few weeks, just to do a little bit of exploring.

00:10 Luke says he enjoyed going around Luzon so far, but he hopes to see improvement in one aspect.

00:17 I think the transportation would definitely be a big part of it.

00:20 When you want to go and see different things, you can easily find that,

00:24 but it's just about getting to and from those destinations.

00:26 It's hard to know how to do that.

00:29 Improving infrastructure and connectivity is among the priorities of the Tourism Department next year.

00:36 Secretary Cristina Frasco says they are working on developing roads and even internet connection in tourist spots.

00:44 We can see that being an archipelagic country, we need investments in terms of marine transportation.

00:52 Air travel is also seeing improvement, as the country recovers 80% of pre-pandemic seat capacity.

01:00 I think for us, we will be at 103% by the end of the year in terms of pre-COVID capacity.

01:07 So we are certainly looking at a stronger domestic recovery.

01:12 DOT is working on opening direct flights from the US and European countries to entice more tourists.

01:19 A few days left in the year, over 5 million tourists have already entered the country.

01:25 91% are foreign visitors, mostly from South Korea, the US, and Japan.

01:31 This translates to nearly P440 billion in receipts.

01:36 In 2024, we are more than optimistic that we will once again reach our targets as we have proven in the past two years.

01:46 The DOT is aiming to welcome 7.7 million tourists next year.

01:52 With more visitors coming in, these create millions of job opportunities for Filipinos.

01:58 Tourism stakeholders are confident these targets can be met.

02:03 Local government units should play a very important role.

02:10 We will sell whatever you have in the destination. Give us your product and we will sell.

02:15 We can only transform the Philippine tourism industry if we address the prevailing challenges,

02:23 especially the transportation system in our country.

02:27 Traffic is really their worst enemy when visiting our country.

02:33 The DOT will push for the promotion of diving, golf, cruise, and other forms of tourism

02:39 in a bid to show visitors there's a lot to love in the Philippines.

02:44 Paige Javier, CNN Philippines

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