Philippines is Asia's Top Destination

From the Department of Tourism Website Press Release: :)

RP is Asia’s Most Popular Destination, Makes mark in World Travel Fair 2009

Friday, April 17, 2009

SHANGHAI, CHINA -- The Philippines was named the ‘Most Popular Destination in Asia’, after a public vote and a strict evaluation process undertaken by professional jurors from the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration and VNU Exhibitions Europe, at the recent World Travel Fair (WTF) 2009.

“Our country receiving the highest laurel in Asia’s leading source fair in China is a notable milestone in the industry’s optimism in sustaining the momentum generated from efforts to reach this important market segment,” said Ace Durano, Secretary of Tourism.


The tourism chief added, “The Philippines is one of the fastest growing destinations in China’s outbound travel industry, recording a 74% month-on-month growth rate in visa issuances for February of this year. We are also the nearest tropical beach country for the Chinese, as Manila is only 2 hours away from Guangzhou, while Cebu is only 3 hours away from Shanghai.”


Durano likewise attributed the win to the country’s competitive tour pricing, the remarkable progress of the transportation sector and the Filipino’s friendliness and hospitality.


Dubbed as the ‘Outbound Travel Industry's Leading Source Fair in Asia, the WTF receives thousands of travel buyers from China, Asia and the rest of the world, who come to hold exchanges with more than 500 exhibitors from 62 countries, held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.


“The Chinese travellers rank our country’s beaches and heritage sites high, as proven by the various recognitions they have awarded to our tourist spots,” Durano said further.


Beach holidays rank 79% among the top leisure activities undertaken by the Chinese, according to an outbound travel study in China, while the International Visitor Survey conducted by the DOT reported that foreign visitors rank the country highest for visitor satisfaction in terms of Filipino hospitality.

Due to its strong partnership with a consortium of travel agents, the DOT has urged the transportation sector to open direct chartered flights and daily regular flights to Cebu and Manila. These developments have reflected a 61% increase in number of chartered flights operated in 2008 compared to last year.


Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions Eduardo Jarque, Jr. was enthusiastic to point out that the country has always garnered positive feedback from Asian tourists, “The Philippines has managed to secure, among others, the Best Leisure Destination in the last year’s WTF, for Boracay; the Top 10 Island Getaways for Chinese Summer Travel, for Bohol; the only Asian entry in the list of premier destinations in the acclaimed World Traveller Magazine; and Top 10 Most Searched Destination among Shanghai online users.”

Jarque was referring to Baidu, the biggest search engine in China capturing 68% of the Chinese online market (Google a distant second with 20% market share), which listed the Philippines in the Top 10 most searched travel destination among Shanghai online users from its latest report.


Meanwhile, Arlene Alipio, head of DOT Team China, noted that the flourishing outbound travel of China has been propitious to the Philippines as well, “Recent statistics from the China National Tourism Administration show that the number of Chinese travellers reached 34.4 million in the first nine months of this year, up by 14.8 percent year-on-year. In September alone, about 3.7 million Chinese people travelled overseas, an increase of 9 percent year-on-year. “


Shanghai-based Philippine Tourism Attaché to China, Gerry Panga, shared, “The country’s continued and consolidated efforts in promoting a wide array of travel opportunities to its Asian neighbours have indeed resulted to our strong market performance despite the global crunch.


RP posted a growth rate of 58.5% in 2008 in terms of visa issuances for travel to the Philippines from Eastern China plus Sichuan and Chongqing. Current growth rate stands at 20% from January to March 2009, making the Philippines one of the fastest growing outbound destinations for Chinese tourists.

FUCK YOU CHIP TSAO! - HK JOURNALIST SLUR FILIPINOS.

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War At Home
Chip Tsao

The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen on board. We can live with that—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That’s no big problem—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.

But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.



Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.

Oh yes. The government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout “China, Madam/Sir” loudly whenever they hear the word “Spratly.” They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, “Long live Chairman Mao!” at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I’m not sure if that’s going a bit too far, at least for the time being.



Chip Tsao is a best-selling author and columnist. A former reporter for the BBC, his columns have also appeared in Apple Daily, Next Magazine and CUP Magazine, among others.


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First International Flights to Western Visayas Land in Mardi Gras town

We have been saying this all along- Kalibo and Boracay are the real destinations in Western Visayas and NOT Iloilo nor Negros. How and why Iloilo and Silay Cities got the International Airport status is totally unimaginable. Last May 11th, Asian Spirit started its maiden non-stop voyage from the port city of Incheon, Korea and landed in the town of Kalibo, a town famous for the grandest, most riotous and the wildest among all the Philippine festivals - the Atiatihan Festival held every Third Week of January and also serves as the gateway to one of the top 10 best beaches in the world and the queen jewel of Philippine tourism- Boracay Island.

Before this flights, Kalibo Airport has already been accepting chartered flights from Russia and other countries in the past. With Asian Spirit providing the first flights, it is expected that other airlines (Cebu Pacific, PAL, Air Asia and other budget airlines perhaps?) would be likely to follow. Now, I wonder who would be using the Iloilo International? Or the Silay International? If I am a tourist, I would definitely choose the airport closer to my destination which in this case would be Boracay. I wouldnt want to travel at least 4-5 more hours by land when I can cut my travel time to one hour right? In the case of Iloilo Airport, my hunch is that it will be converted into a cargo airport like Subic which does make sense since most of the major businesses in the region is located in Iloilo, but as a tourist airport, I really dont see any potential for that airport -there are not enough tourist destinations in Iloilo- except for the scattered heritage houses, and churches. Silay Airport is a bit redundant then if you have the Iloilo Airport for international cargo. The main tourist destination in Negros is Apo Island off Dumaguete, which is too far from Silay.

Anyway, here is a news report from Sun Star Iloilo regarding the first Kalibo Flights:

1st international flight lands in Kalibo

KALIBO -- A historic day and a dream come true in the province of Aklan and the municipality of Kalibo.

This was how Aklan Representative Florencio T. Miraflores described the landing Friday at the Kalibo Airport of Aklan's first international flight.

The landing of the Asian Spirit plane here from Incheon, South Korea to Kalibo was also Western Visayas' first international flight.

The McDonnel Douglas MD82 plane touched down the Kalibo Airport at 11:50 a.m., loaded with passengers from South Korea, who were welcomed at the airport reception area by Aklan's officials.

Representative Miraflores said that with the landing of the first international flight in Aklan, it is foreseen that the Kalibo Airport will be further developed into its true international status.

He recalled that when he was the governor of the province and the chairperson of the Regional Development Council, he fought for the conversion of the Kalibo Airport to an international one, but then Iloilo was selected to be the site.

This did not deter him and the other Aklan leaders to pursue the dream, " and finally, today, this is the realization of that dream," he said.

Miraflores also acknowledged the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for providing the budget for the Instrumental Landing System and the Navigation Aid, which enabled the Kalibo Airport to be ready for international flights.

"This first international flight is just the start of better things to come to Aklan. If Kalibo will be developed into its true international status, Governor Marquez and I could go to Malacaang and say "Madame President, here is the proof that the best destination is Kalibo and not Iloilo.

Then if we are given more funds, we can extend the terminal, although a budget of P50 million has been included already for the extension of the departure and arrival area for international flights.

We still think this is not enough, as we should prepare for the influx of more tourists. We expect Asiana, Korean Airlines and PAL to come in because we have proven today that Kalibo is ready for business in the international market," Miraflores said.

Miraflores also said that his and Governor Marquez' next step is to request the Air Transportation Office to grant the Kalibo Airport an international gateway status so anytime, day and night, the airport could be used.

For his part, Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez said the province' opening to international flights will immensely boost Aklan's status as a world tourist destination. He also said that a booming tourism industry would help alleviate poverty, which is a must in Aklan.

On the other hand, Alan Java, Area Manager, Area Centerpoint of ATO in Iloilo City said he could not help but agree that the unity of Aklan leaders beat all the odds, "because today is a milestone in history of aviation industry in Region 6, that despite the allocation of P6 billion for Iloilo International Airport, Kalibo was the first to receive an international flight."

Java also conveyed the congratulatory greetings and assurance of ATO Assistant Secretary Nilo Jalico to continue "this endeavor started until this airport really becomes the gateway of the entire Panay Island and Western Visayas to the international community as far as international flights is concerned. While Iloilo is still planning big flights, you have done it."

DOT Regional Director, who also gave a message in the short program after the arrival of the inaugural flight, emphasized the importance of doing things together as shown by Aklan's leadership.

He said the flight was a historic event in the sense that not only was this the first international flight from a regional destination but this also Aklan's contribution to the development of the tourism industry in Western Visayas.

"Despite the waiting in the wings of international airports in Iloilo and Bacolod, I guess they have to learn something from what you have done here," Trompeta said.

The Asian Spirit flights, according to an airline official, will land in Aklan twice a week - every Friday and Monday. The plane is a 165 seater. Travel time from South Korea to Kalibo is four hours. (Venus G. Villanueva-PIA)

HELLO WORLD! WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY TO WESTERN VISAYAS- WELCOME TO KALIBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT!