Tourism secretary Christina Frasco (right) explains tourism infrastructure upgrade at the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel hosted by former senator Joey Lina. (Photo by Tracy Cabrera)
By Tracy Cabrera
PROUDLY saying that the Philippines is halfway through its tourist arrival target for the end of 2024, Tourism Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina Garcia-Frasco disclosed that tourism arrival data showed a record high of 4.08 million international visitors as of September 5, 2024, saying that the latest number while still 3.61 million short of its target of 7.7 million by yearend already reflects “sustained interest in the Philippines” by travelers from the international community.
Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel hosted by former Senator Jose ‘Joey’ Lina Jr., Frasco announced that the tourism sector is achieving full recovery from pre-pandemic figures, yielding ₱362 billion from January to August 2024, at least 111.17 percent higher than the ₱326 billion that was recorded in the same period in 2019.
Based on developments in the tourism department’s initiative to improve the country’s tourism infrastructure through generating interest on direct international flights to the Philippines, optimism has been generated across the archipelago with desired travel iteniraries being fulfilled even as Air France’s resumption of its direct Manila-Paris flights after 20 years has finally been achieved.
“(This) bodes well for the Philippine travel sector as we predict a boost to French inbound arrivals. It also pins the confidence of other European airlines to mount nonstop service in the country,” she pointed out.
“We are optimistic that this will pave the way for further expansion of direct flights to other key European destinations in the near future,” she added.
Accordingly, the Department of Tourism (DoT) said that through the Manila-Paris air route, the country is eager to welcome more visitors from France and the European Union, who will discover and love the unique charm of our islands, the warmth of Filipino hospitality and the richness of (Filipino) culture and heritage.
Earlier, French Ambassador Marie Fontanel noted that the Philippines, to date, is the only Southeast Asian state without a direct connection to a European country. Apart from France, Italy is also working with Manila to boost two-way travel between the two countries.
