Chinese Arrival Numbers to the Philippines Increase Sharply in 2017

The number of Chinese arrivals to the Philippines saw a marked increase in the first five months of 2017, reaching a reported total of 388,896. This figure represented a 36.3% year-on-year increase compared to 2016’s equivalent total of 285,348, making China the Philippines’ third largest tourism source market out of a total arrival figure of 2.88 million arrivals for the January to May period.

The growth comes amid warming bilateral relations between the two countries. October 2016 saw China lift its travel warning to the Philippines, while 2017 has seen Beijing pledge to send 1 million tourists to the country this year, a target it is however not on course to reach at the arrival current rate. Nevertheless, the positive growth in the Chinese outbound market has played its part in the Philippines’ Department of Tourism’s (DOT) decision increase its target arrival number for the year to 8 million, from a previous stated goal of 6.5 million.

The DOT has made a concerted effort to broaden perspectives surrounding its product in the Chinese market and drawing increasingly experience-seeking second wave Chinese tourists. This has seen the Department support 10 of the country’s leading dive resorts at July’s Diving Resort Travel (DRT) Expo 2017 in Beijing.

In addition to diving enthusiasts, tour operators have reported a wide range of Chinese tourists being drawn to the Philippines, including: gamblers, adventure travellers and those looking to indulge in local cuisine. With the number of direct flights from China set to grow this year, the variety of Chinese outbound travellers to the country is set to become increasingly diverse.

COTRI China Outbound Tourism Research Institute provides expert insights into the worldwide developments of China’s outbound tourism market. As Chinese outbound tourists are travelling to a large range of destinations, our publications cover a number of regions, providing detailed insights and analysing visitor behaviour.

With COTRI’s insights you can forge a successful business strategy built upon in-depth market expertise, comprehensive qualitative analysis and future projections. The Spring 2017 Edition of the COTRI Market report features in-depth exploration of the developing trends in the field, supported by a wealth of qualitative and quantitative statistical research.

Source: Business Mirror, People, Sunstar

Image: Flickr