As the winter holidays and the Spring Festival approach, the Philippines is full of enthusiasm, welcoming more Chinese tourists to visit and spend their holidays in the country.
The Philippine Department of Tourism hereby assures Chinese tourists that the Philippine government has the specific incident fully under control, and to date, no Chinese tourists have been affected by the event. The area where the incident occurred is located at the southernmost tip of Philippine territory, far away from the country's tourist destinations.
A large number of foreign tourists continue to visit the Philippines for sightseeing and vacations as usual, and tourism activities and services related to major tourist destinations remain normal. Philippine tourism has always performed well in the Chinese market, especially with the number of tourists from East China maintaining steady growth, reaching a year-on-year growth rate of 34.4% from January to November 2009. In contrast, the overall growth rate of Chinese outbound tourists in the first three quarters of 2009 was only 1.9%. As of the end of November 2009, the number of direct charter flights from East China to the Philippines also increased by 70% year-on-year.
The Philippines is the tropical island nation closest to China. Departing from Shanghai, it takes only a 3-hour flight to reach destinations such as Manila, Cebu, and Boracay (home to the world-famous White Beach). Chinese tourists who love to travel will find it very convenient to reach different islands in the Philippines, where they can spend an unforgettable beach holiday, enjoy excellent value-for-money shopping experiences, the warmest service, delicious cuisine, diverse culture, and beautiful natural scenery.
In December 2009, the Philippine Department of Tourism was awarded the "Best Innovation and Development Award." Prior to this, at the Shanghai World Travel Fair in April 2009, the Philippines also won the "Most Popular Travel Destination in Asia" award.
