RP fast becoming top tourist destination for Koreans

BY JESS DIAZ

MANILA - If you have noticed that Korean tourists are swarming all over Palawan and Boracay, that’s because the Philippines is fast becoming a favorite destination for Koreans, Palawan Rep. Antonio Alvarez said.

Citing arrival numbers, Alvarez said, “The Korean invasion is in full swing; in fact, the Korean government has offered assistance in building an airport in Palawan.”

He said at least three jumbo jets carrying nearly 1,600 Koreans are arriving daily to spend a few days of vacation here. This number excludes those who fly directly to Clark Field in Pampanga and Subic in Zambales on weekends just to play golf, he added.

Alvarez revealed that to entice more Korean tourists to visit the country, the Department of Tourism is allotting $3 million in tourism promotion projects. He said one strategy being considered is to offer the Philippines’ “sand, sea and sun” as locale for Korean films, possibly in joint venture with local production firms.

“Puwede ring magkaroon ng ‘Jewel in the Coconut Palace’ dito,” he said, referring to the popular “Jewel in the Palace” Korean soap opera that has been dubbed in Filipino. The Korean government has offered a P150-million grant for the improvement of the airport on Busuanga island, off Palawan’s northern tip, which has been publicized as the next Boracay.

Alvarez said Korean tourism arrivals jumped by 18 percent to 321,308 in the first seven months of this year, making them the second biggest group of visitors after the Americans.

“We’ll probably hit 600,000 Korean visitors this year,” he said.

He estimated that the contribution to the economy of Korean tourists is a “conservative P15 billion annually, assuming that each spends an average of $500 while here.”

“If you factor in the long-staying ones, those who study here, whether in college or in English language schools, the figure is definitely higher,” he said.

The Department of Tourism is targeting at least three million visitors next year. It has a tourism promotion fund of P1.1 billion, the bulk of which would be spent to attract tourists from Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.