The variety of Chinese nationals applying for tourist and business visas on the Philippine Embassy in Beijing has increased to 200 percent.
Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana attributes this increase to President Duterte’s announcement of a foreign policy aimed toward uniting the Philippines with China.
Sta. Romana said travel agencies in China have increased travel bookings to the Philippines as demand appears to be growing within the China-Philippines tourism market.
The Philippine government is aiming to double tourist arrivals this yr, and the issue now’s make it easier for the Chinese to process travel visas,” Sta said. Roman Philippine star.
“We have gone out of the mainstream. During our tense relationship, Chinese traveled to Southeast Asia, but not to the Philippines, as Chinese media coverage of the Philippines was quite negative. Recently, the coverage in the Chinese media has been quite positive,” he said.
“(This year) we will reach one million (arrivals), so we are just scratching the surface,” the ambassador said, noting that various consulates in China are currently inundated with visa applications.
The increase within the variety of applications also resulted in a rise in employment in consular departments.
From January to December 2016, roughly 675,663 people visited the Philippines, 37.65% greater than in previous years. Moreover, within the period from January to February this yr. There was a rise within the variety of tourist arrivals by 25.42%. in comparison with the identical period of 2016.
Earlier this week, a gaggle of Filipino foreign policy experts flew to China to consult with their counterparts ways to cooperate and ultimately establish a bilateral body to co-manage the South China Sea.
Source : Phil Star Global Company | International business times | Inquirer
