PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Tourism officials here have noted a stable buildup in visitor arrivals since June due to direct international flights chartered by flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) for Chinese, Taiwanese, and South Korean travelers.
“Mag-dominate na 'yan silang mga Chinese and Koreans sa list, kasi meron tayong anim na direct flights ngayon (The Chinese and Koreans might dominate in the list because we currently have six direct flights to their countries),” said City Tourism Office (CTO) assistant tourism officer Demetrio Alvior Jr. on Wednesday.
Alvior said the number of tourists from the three Asian countries already contributed a 35-percent boost since June 26.
He said in 2016, tourist arrivals in Puerto Princesa used to be led by US nationals, but this year, they dropped to number four on the list.
Last year, the city recorded an arrival of 1,030, 552 composed of 664,438 domestic tourists and 366,114 foreigners.
Michie Meneses, officer-in-charge of the CTO’s Tourism Promotions and Marketing Division, said the influx of guests from China, Taiwan, and South Korea, indicates Puerto Princesa remains to be one of the best destinations in the country.
She said the Puerto Princesa Underground River and Honda Bay Islands are fully-booked due to the continuous arrival of guests from other Asian countries.
“Iyong iba’t-ibang mga nationalities na direct na nakakapasok dito sa atin ay magandang indikasyon ‘yan sa ating lahat na ‘yong ating turismo ay mas lumalago. Talagang lahat ng mga destinasyon natin ay fully-booked (The different nationalities who continue to come here directly are a good indication that our tourism industry is growing more. All our destinations are fully-booked),” she said.
The favorable growth also has an impact on the stability of more than 4,000 residents who work in the tourism industry, she added.
“Its good effect also impacts our residents, first and foremost. Economically speaking, our increasing tourist arrivals help in providing livelihood to a large number of people working in the tourism industry – our tour guides, tourism operators and front-liners – all of them benefit,” Meneses said. (PNA)
