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Boracay expected to draw more tourists from Taiwan

Vol. XXI, No. 225 [ BusinessWorld Online ]
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES

THE GOVERNMENT expects a surge in Taiwanese visitors to Boracay, one of the country’s top tourist attractions, after Taiwan-based Mandarin Airlines launched direct flights to Kalibo, Aklan.

Hence, the Department of Tourism (DoT) said it is optimistic in attracting five million tourists by 2010, with Boracay as among the country’s top growth drivers. It said Boracay expects around 700,000 visitors this year and one million by 2010.

"The opening of new flights will definitely help us claim a good share of the booming Taiwanese outbound market. By going straight to Kalibo, we further encourage travelers from Taipei to visit more of the Philippines," Tourism Secretary Joseph H. Durano said in a statement.

Mandarin Airlines, a sister company of China Airlines, recently inaugurated its Taipei-to-Kalibo route. The company will have regular flights to Kalibo every Wednesday and Saturday. It also has regular flights to Cebu and is expected to resume flights to Laoag. It previously operated flights to Subic.

Eric Tung, general manager of Mandarin Airlines’ local branch, was quoted as saying that his company decided to fly to Kalibo due to strong market demand from Taiwanese travelers wanting to go to Boracay.

But Mr. Durano cited the need for improved infrastructure and new facilities to attract tourists. "Tourism is a really big industry and it creates more jobs and opportunities for many Filipinos. There’s a huge interest from tourists to visit various locations in the Philippines and we can only accommodate them if we have enough hotel rooms and resorts," he said.

In a report, DoT said tourist arrivals grew 7.5% in January-April to 1.11 million from 1.03 million last year. For April alone, arrivals reached 253,869, up 4.3% from 243,441 last year. Tourists spent $1.34 billion from January to April.

Americans accounted for 18.5% of the total at 47,013 arrivals, compared to 45,382 South Koreans who accounted for 17.9%.

Japanese tourists meanwhile totaled 29,295, followed by China with 13,845, and Australia with 9,904, official data showed.

Taiwanese tourists reached 9,486 in April, a 36.2% jump from 6,965 last year.

There were also 13.3% more Norwegians visiting the country, followed by the Irish with 6.9% growth, Swedes with 5.4%, and Danes with 5.2% growth. — BSSD

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