Special report: Philippines tourism, a tough sell?

Tue, 05/01/2012 - 01:20 — Anonymous by Richard S. EhrlichAs a tourist
destination, the Philippines is loaded with the attractions travelers dream
of: lots of sun, gorgeous beaches, world-class scenery, adventure
opportunities, friendly outgoing locals, fascinating history and lots of
little-roamed territory.  Yet for all its advantages, the nation of more
than 7,000 islands has a big problem attracting travelers. According to the
United Nations World Tourism Association, with about 3.5 million
international tourist arrivals in 2010 (its most recent published figures),
the Philippines nets just 1.7 percent of tourist arrivals in the booming Asia
Pacific region, and a mere 1.1 percent of international tourism revenues in
the region. With 27.3 percent, China leads the region in arrivals, but the
Philippines also trails nations such as Malaysia (12.1 percent of Asia
Pacific's international tourist arrivals), Thailand (7.8 percent),
Singapore (4.5 percent), Taiwan (2.7 percent) and Vietnam (2.5 percent).  In
2010, the Philippines accounted for only 8.1 percent of the international air
seats flown per week within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), which includes the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.read more