The Department of Tourism is ready to roll out the red carpet for a significant increase in Indian arrivals into the Philippines following the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with Singapore International Airlines.
Through the one-year collaboration, DoT and SIA will hold joint marketing initiatives that will implement activities to promote the Philippines to the Indian market through social media, familiarization tours, and roadshows, among others.
The agreement was signed byTourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. and SIA Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing Campbell Wilson at the Makati Diamond Residences.
Also present during the signing were DoT Regional Directors.
“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 next years,” said Bengzon.
Bengzon also disclosed that the department is not only looking at the headcount but also with the revenue it would generate.
“An Indian tourist, in average spent at least 1000 US dollars, just imagine if we are able to meet the 100,000 mark of Indian tourist. Also, part of our strategy is to make them stay longer on the Philippines by developing new products that would meet their needs,” he said.
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.
India is one of the Philippines’ emerging markets.
India has sent 88, 832 tourists from January to October 2017, a 20.28 percent increase compared to the same period in 2016, making India the second fastest growing market next to China.
Singapore Airlines is the primary carrier connecting India to the Philippines.