The Department of Tourism (DoT), Philippines, along with Her Excellency Teresita C Daza, ambassador, Republic of the Philippines to India, launched 50 branded taxis in Mumbai and two HOHO buses in New Delhi as part of the promotional campaign which will also run in Mumbai. Speaking at the launch, the ambassador said, “This is one way of raising awareness about the Philippines as each taxi and bus displays various destinations from the country. We hope to encourage more and more Indian travellers to discover the beautiful islands. The Philippines has a lot to offer and its slogan, ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’, has been very helpful in attracting more tourists. India currently holds the rank of the 12th most important source market for tourist arrivals in the Philippines. During January-July this year, 72,498 Indian tourists travelled to the Philippines as compared to 60,658 tourists for the same period last year, registering a growth of 28.41 per cent. In 2016, over 90,816 Indians visited the Philippines, registering a growth of 37 per cent.”
DoT plans to focus on promoting some new areas and cruise tourism among the Indian travellers apart from expanding the MICE and wedding segment. Speaking to Express TravelWorld regarding future initiatives, she said, “Total nine cruise ships dock at Philippines and we’ll try to promote their routes with the India market. With an aim to further increase arrivals from India, DoT Philippines has been undertaking several consumer as well as trade initiatives. The added advantage of visa-free entry for up to 14 days for Indian passport holders with valid AJACSSUK visas (US, Japan, Australia, Canada, Schengen, Singapore and the UK) contributes significantly towards our goal of attracting 100,000 visitors by the end of 2017.”
DoT- Philippines also signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Singapore International Airlines (SIA) for a one-year joint marketing initiative that will implement activities to promote the Philippines in the Indian market. The agreement was signed by DoT’s undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. and SIA’s senior vice president for sales and marketing, Campbell Wilson.