Philippine Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan and Philippine Ambassador to China Willy Gaa during the ribbon-cutting ceremonies of the Opening of the Tourism Office held at the Philippine Embassy on 21 July 2004.

L-R: Philippine Tourism Attaché Jazmin Esguerra, Philippine Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan, Philippine Ambassador to China Willy Gaa and Madame Linda Gaa during the unveiling of the bust of Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal on the Opening of the Office of the Philippine Tourism Attaché on 21 July 2004. The bust of Dr. Rizal is donated by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

RP opens tourism office in Beijing

The Office of the Philippine Tourism Attaché at the Embassy was opened by no less than Philippine Tourism Secretary Roberto M. Pagdanganan on 21 July 2004.

In an interview with members of the Chinese media, Secretary Pagdanganan said the move was made to capture a fraction of China’s 20 million outbound tourist market. World Tourism Organization studies reveal that Chinese outbound tourists could reach 130 million by 2020, making it the largest source of outbound tourists.

The tourism chief also explained that the DOT and its partners are specifically targeting Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong. These three, he said, have generated the highest number of outbound tourists primarily due to having stable local economies, increasing personal and disposable incomes, and increased urbanization as manifested by their improved facilities for travel.

Measures that the Philippine Department of Tourism has outlined to strengthen the country’s position as a “preferred destination” for Chinese tourists include competitively-priced tour packages; brochures and the DOT website in Chinese; Mandarin-speaking professional tour guides and airport receptionists; tourism sales missions; and familiarization tours for media and tour operators.

Philippine Consular posts in China have also simplified visa procedures and reduced visa fees twice in the last three years. In February, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Executive Order 288 reducing visa fees specifically for the Chinese tourist. The visa fee for tour groups from China and HKSAR with at least twenty (20) members is now only RMB 150 per member, down from RMB 250.

The Philippines was accorded Approved Destination Status (ADS) in 1992.

Last year, only 32,039 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines. In the first half of 2004, some 19,169 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines, up 33 percent from the same period in 2003.

L-R: Philippine Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan, Asian Affairs Department Deputy Director-General Guan Mu of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Ambassador to China Willy Gaa and Former Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Guifang raise a toast at the Inauguration of the Philippine Tourism Office at Kerry Centre Hotel on 21 July 2004 .

Ambassador Gaa on tourism promotion

In his speech at the cocktail reception for the opening of the Tourism Attache’s office on 21 July, Ambassador Gaa said the Embassy hopes to have a more focused and sustained promotion of the Philippines with the assignment of a tourism attaché in Beijing. He said that Tourism Attache will work with Chinese tour operators to come up with appropriate packages suited to Chinese demand. The Tourism Attaché will also work hard with the Chinese media on information dissemination regarding the Philippines as a tourism destination.

Ambassador Gaa also noted that tourism is a national priority of the Philippine Government because of its impact on socio-economic development. Depending on the year, tourism generates four to eight percent of Philippine GDP. It creates jobs, alleviates poverty and earns revenues. Ambassador Gaa also noted that beyond its economic potential, tourism is a bridge to friendship between cultures and peoples and enriches lives and touches and enlightens people. He recalled the visits of early Chinese to the Philippines more than a millennium ago and said that more tourism exchanges bring deeper cultural understanding.

The Philippine Tourism Attaché to China is Ms. Jazmin C. Esguerra. She may be reached at the Embassy's numbers.