(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Tourist arrivals from Qatar to the Philippines will further improve due to the 'increased marketing presence' in the country, a senior official of the Department of Tourism (DoT) in the Philippines has said.
Plans to promote Philippine tourism in the GCC, especially in Qatar, are under way, according to Francisco M Lardizabal, head of Strategic Development Technical Unit, Market Development Group at DoT.
The number of visitors from Qatar went up from 2,932 in 2009 to 3,990 in 2014. Visitors from Saudi Arabia increased by 24,382 in five years, from 19,101 in 2009 to 43,483 in 2014. UAE figures also posted an increase of 6,512, from 10,488 in 2009 to 17,000 in 2014.
The figures were shared by Lardizabal in a letter to the Philippines embassy first secretary and consul Gonaranao Musor. DoT created Team Middle East in 2009 and organised in 2010 a roadshow to various GCC countries that included Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and UAE.
The number of visitors from Bahrain also increased by 989, from 3,014 in 2009 to 4,003 in 2014. Tourist arrivals from Kuwait started strong at 9,605 in 2009 but declined the following year with 5,230 visitors. In 2014, the number decreased by 4,215.
The total number of visitors from the five GCC countries increased from 45,140 to 73,766 in five years.
In 2011, DoT started to have a marketing representative in the Middle East. It was also the first time that the Philippines participated in the Arabian Travel Market being held annually in Dubai.
Ambassador Wilfredo Santos also wants to boost the promotion of Philippine tourism in the country besides strengthening the economic diplomacy between Qatar and the Philippines.
The envoy sees a lot of opportunities to promote the Philippines in Qatar such as the staging of culinary events and competitions.
Celebrations such as the recently concluded 'Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Festival' held at Katara € the Cultural Village contribute a lot in tourism promotion.
The festival showcased numerous traditional performances, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of Asean countries.
Santos earlier said the Middle East is not a traditional market for the DoT since most tourists come from North America and Asia, including China and Korea.
However, he vowed to work hard to attract more tourists from Qatar and the Gulf region.
DoT also partnered with Cebu Pacific in tourism promotion in the Middle East.
It is the largest airline in the Philippines which will commence its Manila-Doha flights on June 5.
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