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25-05-2013, 03:00 AM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
MANILA: The Philippine tourism industry is bracing itself for the worst following the suspension and cancellation of many trips by Taiwanese travel agencies.
The blow is a result of ongoing tension between Taiwan and the Philippines over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters.
Some 6,000 tour groups or about 10,000 Taiwanese visitors have cancelled their trips to the Philippines.
Several airlines have also suspended their charter services to and from Taiwan.
The moves came after Taiwan imposed a red travel alert on the Philippines following the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine coastguards.
Department of Tourism Undersecretary Daniel Corpuz said if the situation continues for four or five more months, losses in terms of traffic could go up to about 45,000 visitors.
Taiwan is the fifth largest market for foreign arrivals in the Philippines and in recent years those arrival numbers have increased significantly.
Last year alone, Taiwanese visitor arrivals accounted for the largest single increase in visitor numbers among the Philippines' top five visitor markets.
The tourism industry is now scrambling to make up for the loss of Taiwanese tourists by focusing its efforts on attracting tourists from other markets, and further developing the other four top markets -- South Korea, the United States, Japan, and China.
Aileen Clemente, president or the Philippine Travel Agencies Association, said: "The biggest impact is in Boracay right now. Hopefully it is just short term. We are hopeful things will be resolved sooner rather than later."
Last year, the Philippines fell short of reaching its 4.6 million tourist arrivals target, largely because mainland Chinese tourists stayed away from the Philippines as a result of the dispute between the two countries over the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
And this year, the beleaguered Philippines tourism industry can only hope that the tension with Taiwan can be resolved quickly so that Philippines have a chance of hitting its 2013 target of 5.5 million tourist arrivals.
- CNA/al
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152940-Taiwan-1-Banana-Land-0&goto=newpost).
MANILA: The Philippine tourism industry is bracing itself for the worst following the suspension and cancellation of many trips by Taiwanese travel agencies.
The blow is a result of ongoing tension between Taiwan and the Philippines over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters.
Some 6,000 tour groups or about 10,000 Taiwanese visitors have cancelled their trips to the Philippines.
Several airlines have also suspended their charter services to and from Taiwan.
The moves came after Taiwan imposed a red travel alert on the Philippines following the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine coastguards.
Department of Tourism Undersecretary Daniel Corpuz said if the situation continues for four or five more months, losses in terms of traffic could go up to about 45,000 visitors.
Taiwan is the fifth largest market for foreign arrivals in the Philippines and in recent years those arrival numbers have increased significantly.
Last year alone, Taiwanese visitor arrivals accounted for the largest single increase in visitor numbers among the Philippines' top five visitor markets.
The tourism industry is now scrambling to make up for the loss of Taiwanese tourists by focusing its efforts on attracting tourists from other markets, and further developing the other four top markets -- South Korea, the United States, Japan, and China.
Aileen Clemente, president or the Philippine Travel Agencies Association, said: "The biggest impact is in Boracay right now. Hopefully it is just short term. We are hopeful things will be resolved sooner rather than later."
Last year, the Philippines fell short of reaching its 4.6 million tourist arrivals target, largely because mainland Chinese tourists stayed away from the Philippines as a result of the dispute between the two countries over the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
And this year, the beleaguered Philippines tourism industry can only hope that the tension with Taiwan can be resolved quickly so that Philippines have a chance of hitting its 2013 target of 5.5 million tourist arrivals.
- CNA/al
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?152940-Taiwan-1-Banana-Land-0&goto=newpost).