Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

MANILA - First-quarter indicators show an increase in tourist traffic in the country, a sign that the sector has not been seriously affected by the global recession, the Department of Tourism said.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said data from airlines and other transport players show that more and more foreign and local tourists are traveling to and within the Philippines.

“We are confident that despite the challenges, we can expect a big volume of arrivals this year, as already indicated by initial reports of our partner stakeholders in the transport sector,” Durano said.

According to the official, Cebu Pacific reported an increase of 28 percen in passenger volume to 1.98 million in the first quarter of the year from last year’s data.

The Philippine Airlines, on the other hand, has opened new local and overseas routes. New schedules in summer destinations like Boracay and Busuanga were added; the airline also opened new routes to Vancouver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

In the shipping industry, Europe’s premier cruise company, Costa Cruises, has announced the launch of its new ship that will include the Philippines in its route, Durano said.

Costa Cruises recently debuted Costa Classica to double its voyages in Asia. The shipping company is also set to replace Costa Allegra, which started its Asian cruise line in 2006, in 2010 with an even bigger vessel called the Costa Romantica.

Costa Classica will be calling at Manila in October, targeting a 43 percent increase in scheduled port of calls to the country over the last year.

Durano also noted that the Tourism department is in talks with another cruise company, Holland America Line, to put the country in its itinerary.

“We are exploring proposals with MS Volendam to augment the frequency of their trips to the country, as they carry European tourists mostly from the high-spending segment,” Durano noted.

MS Volendam, a ship owned by Holland America, will dock in Manila sometime in April, as part of its 47-day Orient and Alaska voyage.

Last year, 3.14 million tourists visited the Philippines. The Tourism department said the sector is expected to buck the economic slowdown that dragged other industries in 2009, noting that investments continue to pour in and arrivals continue to flow.

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