THE Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DoT) has rolled out the It’s more fun in the Philippines campaign in India, targeting the southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai to reach out to an extended customer base.
Last year, 50,000 Indians – the majority from New Delhi and Mumbai – visited the Philippines, a 23 per cent increase over 2010.
Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily at The Great Domestic Tourism Bazaar last weekend, Tess H Mauricio, DoT’s officer-in-charge of marketing and promotions, said the NTO was planning to promote Cebu, Bohol, Boracay and Palawan to the Indian market.
Vicky Soin, assistant vice president–outbound MICE of Abercrombie & Kent India, said: “The average length of stay for Indians is seven days. While Manila is the focal point for Indian business travellers, Boracay and Palawan offer the kind of leisure options Indians like.”
Arjun Shroff, director, Shroff Travel Center Philippines, said: “The lack of (direct) air connectivity impedes larger Indian inbound numbers to the Philippines. However, we expect to see very good growth from India in 2013.”
Currently, Indian travellers to the Philippines have to transit via Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong.
