ArchivesOctober 2017Tourist arrivals in NegOr increase

Tourist arrivals in NegOr increase

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The Province of Negros Oriental has registered a steady increase in tourist arrivals over the past three years.

Provincial Senior Tourism Operations Officer Myla Mae Abellana disclosed this during the recent Regional Association of Development Information Officers (RADIO-7) Convention held in Dumaguete City.

Abellana showed a comparative data of tourist arrivals that plot the increase from 2014 to 2016: 519,429 in 2014; 625,295 in 2015; and 696,403 in 2016.

However, in terms of annual comparative growth percentage, the data registered between 2014 versus 2015 (20.23 percent) is higher than the 2016 versus 2015 rate (11.37 percent).

Domestic tourists recorded the highest number of arrivals over the past three years: 444,317 in 2014; 517,016 in 2015; and 554,550 in 2016.

Foreign tourist arrivals in the province also continued to surge over the same period with 140,329 recorded in 2016.

Chinese tourists continue to top the list of 10 Foreign Markets of Negros Oriental.

Between 2003 to 2014, American visitors topped the list of foreign tourists in the province, said Abellana.

“We were surprised that the Chinese overtook the Americans but we learned that sometime in November 2014 a Chinese blogger came to the province. He went around the province and when he went back to China, he blogged about his trip and that’s when it started. By January, Chinese tourists started arriving here on their own,” Abellana disclosed.

Based on their data, the number of Chinese tourists grew from 3,196 in 2012 to 57,419 in 2016.

She said the influx of Chinese tourists in Negros Oriental can still increase over the coming years.

She shared that within this year, three Chinese tour operators came to her office to inquire how to go about having chartered flights from China to Dumaguete City.

Aside from this, she also received feedback from a tour operator during the recent Philippine Travel Mart that Chinese tourists are interested to visit Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental.

“We really have to prepare for their influx in Dumaguete,” Abellana added.

In view of this, the Provincial Tourism Office requested the Department of Tourism (DOT) to conduct a basic training on the Chinese language for tour guides so they can engage better with the Chinese tourists.

After China and the USA, the other foreign tourists ranked in the Top 10 Foreign Markets for Negros Oriental Tourism are Korea, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, and Switzerland.

Based the 2016 visitor’s attraction report of Negros Oriental’s top tourist spots, the province’s capital, Dumaguete City, continues to be on top of the most visited sites with three attractions, namely: Rizal Boulevard, Silliman Hall, Campanario De Dumaguete, and the Dumaguete Cathedral.

The other most visited tourist attractions are Dolphin Watching in Bais City, Twin Lakes in Sibulan town, Mabinay Caves in Mabinay town, Apo Island in Dauin, Balanan Lake in Siaton, Casaroro Falls in Valencia, and White Sandbar in Manjuyod.

Tied at 8th place are Dreamland Adventure Park in Amlan and Mt. Kanlaon in Canlaon City.

Abellana noted, however, that Alert Level 1 is still hoisted over Mt. Kanlaon and trips to the area are currently on hold.

With most tourist attractions in the province focused on nature and adventure, the provincial government is gearing to transform the province into an eco-tourism hub.

The tourist arrivals are also being monitored after the issuance of travel advisories by several countries against traveling to southern Negros, including Dumaguete City.

Ireland, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada posted the advisories on their government websites recently.

The latest travel advisories, which were issued last week, came after an ambush in Cauayan town in Negros Occidental last week where a Swede and Brazilian were wounded.

The travel advisories against traveling to some areas in the Visayas, including southern Negros, started after the Abu Sayaff sightings in Bohol earlier this year. (with a report from ral/PIA7-Negros Oriental)

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