DOT targets 3 M foreign tourists in 2006
Iloilo -- The Department of Tourism (DOT) is targeting a tourist arrival of three million this year 2006. Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab said the massive tourist arrival will bring a number of investments in the country.
Interviewed by the media on Thursday, Palabyab is confident the target is achievable for as long as the government can keep the present six percent growth rate. The influx of foreign tourist arrivals will bring investments to the country but he could not say how much investment the department projects with the three million foreign tourist arrivals target.
The undersecretary was in the city as the keynote speaker for the two-day Western Visayas Tourism Summit organized by the Department of Tourism last week. The same summit was in cooperation with the Regional Development Council and the Canadian Urban Institute.
The projected 3 million 2006 tourist arrivals also corresponds with the capacity of the country's tourist destinations. The country should also prepare should the number of tourist arrivals increase from the projected target, he said.
Palabyab said foreign tourists will frequently visit Philippines for as long as we keep our country safe both in security and health aspects specifically from dreaded virus such as bird flu and SARS.
He explained that there are only two factors that could affect the number of tourist arrivals in the country. These are the political instability of the nation and the threat on terrorism. Terrorism incidents in different parts of the globe drove foreign tourists to visit the country as alternative tourist destination.
However, Palabyab is quick to say that the present political instability in the country did not affect last year's tourist arrival. But, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in 2005 is much higher if there is no political conflict among the country's leaders.
He added foreign tourists will keep on coming for as long as there are no street marches and violent incidents which could put the country in bad light before the international scene. Filipinos are so noisy when it comes to political issues and conflicts, he noted.
Apart from their projected three million tourist arrivals, the department also wants the other places in the country to become a tourist destination. The opportunity should be spread. This can be achieved by developing new products to attract tourists, he said.
It was also learned that Boracay, Cebu and Mactan are among the favorite destinations in the country. The white-sand beach of Boracay has placed the country in the international tourism map.