DOT sets eyes on 'high value visitors'
Department of Tourism (DOT) regional director Edwin Trompeta said they are targeting some 2.3 million foreign and local tourists in 2010. The department's ultimate goal "is to attract not only tourists but also high value visitors" to experience cultural and heritage and resort attractions the region can offer.
Trompeta said the 2.3 million target is comprised of 70 percent domestic tourists and 30 percent foreign tourists. In 2007 DOT's partial report indicated that there are 1,845,856 tourist arrivals in the region including those in Boracay.
The number of tourist arrivals posted a low record since most of the provincial tourism officers in the region has yet to submit their report on the number of tourist arrivals in their respective provinces. With the partial data on the number of tourist arrivals come the partial visitors receipt amounting to P24,612,835,689.80 for 2007.
In last year's distribution of travelers by province, the province of Aklan, which include Boracay, topped the list with 619,557 while the province of Antique has the least travelers with only 32,905. City and province of Iloilo posted 417,689 travelers.
Trompeta said they aim to encourage the arrival of high value visitors in the region in the next two years. High value visitors are those who stay longer and spend more. It will generate more economic activities and investment opportunities for the people. Partial data from the department showed that tourists normally stay 6 days at most and spending about P2,918 daily. Foreign tourists usually spend more.
Trompeta said the region is accessible to everyone with the availability of different means of transportation from air, sea and roro. In Caticlan alone, there are 200 recorded flights every week. Caticlan's recorded flights is even bigger compared to the number of flights in Iloilo with only 112 flights weekly.
For the sea transportation, there are trips from Iloilo-Bacolod; Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Zamboanga, Cotabato, Davao, Bacolod-Manila, Cebu and Palawan. Roro trips from Manila and Bacolod are also available.
The accessibility of the region is also coupled with tourist product inventory that includes landmarks, sites, churches, festivals, museums, antique collections, shrines, caves falls, mountain ranges, exotic flora and fauna, springs, gardens, world class beaches, Iron dinosaurs (steam locomotives), handicrafts, gemstone quarries, export quality garments, food stuffs, souvenir, pottery, ceramics and woodcrafts.
The department's mission is to position the region as the top meetings, incentives, convention and exhibition (MICE) destination offering cultural heritage and resort attractions, said Trompeta.