Contrary to a claim made by US Ambassador Harry Thomas last September that 40 percent of male foreign tourists come to the Philippines for sex, tourists who visit Negros Oriental say the come because of the lure of a beach holiday and to go diving in Apo Island, ranked as one of the top dive spots in the country.
This was the result of a survey conducted last March by tourism students from St. Paul University of Dumaguete, involving 400 respondents who were interviewed at the airport, seaport or in randomly-selected areas of Dumaguete City.
Teresa Pono, program director of the We Can Project of the AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development Cooperation, said they commissioned the survey through the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry in order to establish baseline data for the development of tourism in Negros Oriental.
Aside from tourism development, the AFOS We Can project, a non-profit organization, helps Negros Oriental as well as the other provinces in the Visayas and the Caraga Region in the development of the food processing and transport sectors.
Other from Apo Island, the tourists also rated the scenic Rizal Boulevard in Dumaguete City as the second biggest tourist draw for Negros Oriental.
Pono surprised tourism stakeholders in Negros Oriental in a meeting last Tuesday with the finding that the third reason tourists come to Negros Oriental is to visit Siquijor province.
Dumaguete City is the jump-off point for Siquijor island, touted by then President Gloria Arroyo as “the next Boracay,” because of its white sand beaches and natural pristine beauty.
Other attractions listed by tourists as Negros Oriental’s attractions were the Municipality of Dauin, which has beach resorts and where Apo Island belongs, Antulang Beach Resort, Balanan Lake, the historic Dumaguete Cathedral and beaches in general.
Dr. Stephan Kunz, country director for the AFOS Foundation, said some tourist attractions in Negros Oriental may not be as well-promoted, which explains why they are not on the list. “In my experience, my friends were speechless when they saw the twin lakes.”
The survey found out that majority of the tourists who visit Negros Oriental are foreigners comprising of 38 percent Anglo Saxons, 25 percent Europeans and 5 percent Asians.
45 percent of the tourists discovered Negros Oriental through friends or relatives while 29 percent learned about the province through the internet and another 12 percent from travel agencies.
Most foreign tourists, with an average age of 42, travel as couples while only 22 percent travel alone, staying for an average of five to six nights, in contrast to domestic tourists who stay for an average of three nights.
The foreign visitors considered their personal safety and security as their top concern, over accessibility of the accommodations, friendliness of the people and quality of the accommodations, in that order.
Domestic and Asian tourists, on the other hand, gave top priority to the quality of the food.
90 percent of the visitors rated their stay in Negros Oriental as excellent and 98.5 percent of the tourists said they will recommend Negros Oriental to their friends and family.