South Koreans topped the visitor arrivals list last year. Around 1.6 million Korean tourists visited the country in 2017, with Boracay and Cebu as their favourite destinations.
South Korean ambassador to the Philippines, Han Dong-man, has vowed to work to bring in more tourists, eyeing two million arrivals from Korea this year despite the closure of Boracay island, a popular destination for Koreans.
South Koreans topped the visitor arrivals list last year. Around 1.6 million Korean tourists visited the country in 2017, with Boracay and Cebu as their favourite destinations.
Han said Seoul would continue to strengthen the relationship with the Philippines by improving the business climate in the country.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) is targeting 7.4 million arrivals this year despite Boracay’s closure.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said DOT is currently promoting alternative destinations, and tourist traffic is being diverted to Cebu, Bohol, and Siargao.
She also said the government is prioritising the improvement of policies on access, connectivity and security, and enhancing its tourism infrastructure programme.
The private sector, however, says meeting the visitor target would be a “tall order” in light of Boracay’s closure.
“(Achieving the tourism target) will be a tall order considering that one of the Philippines’ main destinations was closed,” Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) president Jose Clemente III said.
“The Philippines has become popular in the past few years and our destinations have been experiencing good arrivals which makes diversions from Boracay a bit difficult.
“While we do have other upcoming destinations like Siargao, Dumaguete and others, they may not yet be ready to take in the massive numbers for a variety of reasons, such as accessibility, available accommodations, and infrastructure to name a few,” Clemente added.