Department of Tourism (DOT) – Philippines has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Singapore International Airlines (SIA) for a one-year joint marketing initiative that will implement activities to promote the Philippines to the Indian market. The tourism department is eyeing to boost marketing initiatives to the Indian market as it inks an agreement with a Singaporean air carrier.
This will be done through various marketing platforms such as social media, familiarisation tours, and roadshows, among others. The agreement was signed by DOT’s undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. and SIA’sSenior Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Campbell Wilson, at the Makati Diamond Residences.
Bengzon said, “This is a milestone for the Philippines. The India market is growing at a very fast rate. In fact, we are expecting to reach 100,000 arrivals by end of 2017. This joint agreement is envisioned to sustain and further strengthen this growth in the coming years.”
Latest data from the DOT shows that arrivals from the Indian market have reached 88,832 in the first 10 months of the year, with a 20.28 percent increase compared to the same period in 2016.This makes India the second fastest growing market next to China.For this year, the DOT is expecting Indian arrivals to hit the 100,000 mark. Moreover, Bengzon said Indian tourists would also significantly contribute to the country’s tourism receipts.
“An Indian tourist on average spends at least US$1,000. Just imagine if we are able to meet the 100,000 mark of Indian tourists. Also, part of our strategy is to make them stay longer in the Philippines by developing new products that would meet their needs,” Bengzon added.
SIA and its sister company SilkAir also agreed to bring tourists not only to Manila but also to secondary destinations. “The end result that we are really looking for is a wider dispersal of tourist traffic across the country and spread the benefits of tourism to communities,” Bengzon said. For his part, Wilson said the mutually-beneficial agreement will pave the way for a positive impact on the country’s tourism industry. We are confident we can increase visitor arrivals; it is an honour to bring our passengers anywhere in the Philippines,” he said.
