AFTER persistently denying that it had not received any reports of trip cancellations by Chinese tourists to the Philippines, the Department of Tourism (DOT) finally acknowledged that there has been a slowdown in visitor arrivals from China, after the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague ruled on the territorial sea dispute between both countries.
The DOT made this admission as it announced the arrival of 2,300 Chinese tourists just for a day tour in Boracay, and who were onboard the Legend of the Seas.
In a news statement, Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo said Chinese tourist arrivals “dropped slightly after the international tribunal ruling on the South China,” but it soon recovered and has grown in recent weeks.
Latest data on visitor arrivals, however, do not reflect the growth slowdown in Chinese tourists, as the PCA ruling was issued only in July 12. In the first seven months of 2016, Chinese arrivals in the Philippines grew by 64 percent to 422,801.
The cancellations of Chinese tourists started in July, resulting in over P20 million in losses for hotels and travel agents in Cebu, Bohol and Boracay, and were reported to last until October. (See “Sea-row ruling driving Chinese tourists away,” in the BusinessMirror, July 22, 2016.)
In a document sent by a Chinese tour organizer to SPR Boracay Travel and Tours on July 28, and obtained by the BusinessMirror recently, the tour organizer said their customers cancelled their tour plans to the Philippines after the PCA ruling was issued, and demanded for refunds.
“The indignant citizens have been requesting cancellation of tours to the Philippines. Since then, the tourists kept calling to travel, accusing the travel agency to the police, complaining to the tourist administration, occupying the travel agency to show their dissatisfaction (sic). Some of our guests refused to pay for the travel agency or offer their passport even if they have already paid the deposit,” the document translated from Mandarin said https://www.scribd.com/document/325509473/Chinese-cancellation-document.
Because of the persistent complaints of its customers, the Chinese tour operator said it thought it was prudent to cancel its flight charters to Kalibo, as well as hotel bookings in the resort island of Boracay.
One of the airlines affected was AirAsia Philippines. In a text message, airline Chairman Maan Hontiveros said: “Our scheduled flights are operating normally but the charters to Wenzhou and Wuxi were canceled for August.”
She said the charterers canceled because “they are not very confident of filling the flights because of the South China Sea issue.” She added that she hoped the diplomatic differences between both countries would soon be ironed out “and these worries among Chinese tourists will begin dissipate and confidence is restored.”
Tourism industry sources said, however, the cancellations from China are expected to continue until October.
Meanwhile, the DOT put out all the stops in welcoming the 2,300 Chinese tourists who arrived in Boracay Island, Aklan in September 24 from Xiamen, and were aboard the Legend of the Seas.
The arrivals marked the first trip of an international cruise ship since the Duterte administration took office on July 1, said the agency, ushering in the celebration of the Philippines’s Tourism Week.
Teo hailed the successful event, which she attributed to the “shared efforts” of stakeholders, including the tour organizers, DOT Regional Office 6 and the municipal administration of Malay, Aklan.
“This event goes to show that our country remains a safe place to visit, despite travel warnings due to international politics and travel warnings,” she stressed.
A colorful Ati-Atihan group performed as local DOT staff handed out handcrafted leis to the tourists, which included Chinese professionals, retirees and families with children.
DOT officials, led by Assistant Secretary for Administration and Special Concerns Gwen Javier and Region 6 (Western Visayas) Director Helen Catalbas, greeted the visitors who landed at the Cagban Jetty Port.
“We are pleased to note that a charter has been initiated by travel trade counterparts in China. This underscores our continuing warm tourism and culture ties amid the ongoing territorial strife. This augurs well for our industry and as we pursue our National Cruise Tourism Strategy grounded on ports development and rehabilitation,” Javier said.
A DOT source confirmed, however, that the Chinese tourists were only on a “day tour” and weren’t booked in any hotels. The DOT said the visitors swam in the island’s crystal-clear waters, while sunbathe on the white-sand beach, and the rest took in the sights in nearby islets.
“We’re so happy to host and accord our visitors from China the best tourism experience in Western Visayas as a world-class tourist destination,” Catalbas said. She said two more Royal Caribbean cruise ships are due to arrive in October and November.
Next to South Koreans, the Chinese are the largest group of tourists in Region 6.
In 2015, some 184,000 Chinese visited Western Visayas, mainly to Boracay, while South Koreans numbered 331,269, according to the DOT.
The Legend of the Seas first visited the Philippines in 2012, then, the country became part of its regular itineraries to Asia.