Japanese stakeholders confident of tourism prospects in the Philippines

Tourism stakeholders in Japan are bullish on doing business in the Philippines as Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr, during his official visit to Japan, assured them of the Philippine government’s continued support for the sector.

He reiterated that tourism is vital for economic resurgence, saying the Department of Tourism (DoT) “will exhaust all our efforts to revive this extremely important industry”, and also urged airline partners present to restore their pre-pandemic routes and explore new routes to link both countries.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr (centre) during his official visit to Japan where he met with tourism stakeholders

The meeting also aimed to promote the viability and openness of the Philippines for tourism investments.

Sharing plans and programmes on the country’s developments during the meeting, tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco noted that Japan has “an interest in certain tourism product offerings including diving, health and wellness, and learning English as a second language”.

Hiroyuki Takahashi, chairperson of Japan Association of Travel Agents, said that with the potential resumption of tourism international exchange, the Philippines’ many tourism offerings had the potential to attract a large number of Japanese visitors.

“The Philippines (has) a mild climate all year, making it a popular destination for younger people to relax at beach resorts like Cebu and Boracay Island, and for retirees, an extended period of (vacation) time,” said Takahashi, adding that with the many Japanese companies establishing operations in the region would mean further growth as a business travel destination.

Hasebe Kento from Japan Philippine Tourism Council noted that despite the hiatus brought about by the pandemic, the organisation is eager to jumpstart its activities starting this year.

“We hope that we can share the many attractions of the Philippines to a lot of people,” he enthused.

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