Survey lists Iloilo as top destination in RP
Result of the 2005 Household Survey on Domestic Visitors (HSDV) yielded positive image for Iloilo for being in the top ten list of destinations preferred by domestic travelers from all over the country. The most frequently visited areas are Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Iloilo, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Cebu, Pangasinan and Albay. Except for Iloilo, the top five provinces are adjacent to Metro Manila.
The survey was conducted jointly by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) intended to collect information/data on the profile and travel characteristics of domestic travelers.
This will also provide insights on the travel patterns of Filipino households that will aid planning officers and policy makers for future plans and decisions with regard to the tourism industry in the Philippines. DOT provided funds for the survey while NSO was tasked to gather/collect data.
According to Director Edwin G. Trompeta, DOT Region VI chief, surveys like this will determine the viability of a destination and provide our tourism stakeholders the understanding and importance of domestic travel.
To quantify results there were two types of questionnaires that were used to determine the survey enumeration: HSDV Form 1 or Household Questionnaire and HSDV Form 2 or Individual Questionnaire. Tabulation was done for the period November 2005 to September 2006.
For the period April to September 2005, out of 54.6 million household members under the age bracket 15 years old and above, about 23.7 million traveled around the Philippines.
More than half belongs to age group 15 to 34 years old. The female domestic travelers dominated the scene comprising about 50.9 percent of the total travelers. Seven out of ten travelers were either workers in private establishments or were self-employed while those in the government/government corporation traveled more during the past six months or 62.0 percent of the total person employed in the government sector.
Furthermore, the survey revealed that the main factors that influenced travel are the people and its environment. More than half of the respondents wanted to visit friends and relatives. This include family gatherings and special occasions and attending to religious activities (mass/church gatherings/joining processions)
An average spending of P2,500 per trip were spent majority on food, beverages and shopping. Public utility vehicles were mostly preferred by the travelers. About 419,000 availed of tour packages.
Director Trompeta said that in the next years to come "our positioning of Western Visayas in the tourism market will be to our great advantage as domestic travel will heighten awareness of Filipinos around the country." It will redound to more tourism revenue, investments and employment for the region, he added further.
In the next twelve months, survey indicated that nearly three in every five household members 15 years old and over would want to travel within the country. Places indicated in the list were: Benguet, Aklan, NCR, Cebu, Palawan, Cavite, Davao del Sur, Bohol, Laguna and Iloilo. As reported they prefer to travel in the months of April, May and December with emphasis for pleasure or vacation such as sightseeing, relaxation, beach holidays/swimming, shopping, visiting friends or relatives and attending family occasions and celebrating fiesta and holidays. (DOT Region VI)