LONDON–Despite the temporary closure of Boracay, tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom and Ireland are up by around nine percent and 6.4 percent, respectively, from January to May 2018 versus the same period last year, according to a report from the Philippine Department of Tourism.
Around 90,000 British tourists arrived in the Philippines for the first five months of 2018, while around 8,000 came from Ireland.
The United Kingdom registered the highest number of tourist arrivals to the Philippines within the European region.
Worldwide, it is the eighth largest tourism market after Korea, China, USA, Japan, Australia, Canada, and Taiwan.
“We implemented high-impact consumer activations and digital marketing campaigns to draw British travellers to the Philippines especially for the winter holidays, and to expand our overall market reach in UK,” said Philippine Tourism Attaché for Northern and Southern Europe Gerardo Panga.
According to Panga, strong partnerships with major British tour operators and airlines as well as the Philippines’ vast network of media partners and travel influencers are key in igniting interest in the Philippines as a travel destination in Southeast Asia.
These two factors, he said, account for the sustained increase in British tourist arrivals to the Philippines in the past few years.
Apart from Manila and Boracay, Palawan, Cebu, Bohol, Banaue, Anilao, Puerto Galera, Dumaguete, Siquijor, Siargao, Bicol, and various regions in Northern Philippines are among the top destinations of British travellers.
For travel information, visit itsmorefuninthe philippines.co.uk. (Stacy Danika Garcia)
