Philippine tourist traffic up despite global crisis-- DOT

Local officials and the tourism department said “Baler,” which earned rave reviews for chronicling the saga of 57 Spanish soldiers who waged war for almost a year at the turn of the 19th century even after the war had ended, has so captured the imagination of viewers who are now visiting the province as tourists.“Baler,” which was endorsed by the Department of Education and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, was a well-researched screenplay. The movie refers to the event in what became known as the “Siege of Baler” during the Spanish Occupation when a 57-man Rifle Battalion of the Spanish military clashed with Filipino forces...

CEBU CITY, Sept. 9 (PNA) - Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said the Philippines would likely hit the three million foreign tourists target set by the Departmentof Tourism (DOT) for 2007...

MANILA - First-quarter indicators show an increase in tourist traffic in the country, a sign that the sector has not been seriously affected by the global recession, the Department of Tourism said.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said data from airlines and other transport players show that more and more foreign and local tourists are traveling to and within the Philippines.

“We are confident that despite the challenges, we can expect a big volume of arrivals this year, as already indicated by initial reports of our partner stakeholders in the transport sector,” Durano said.

According to the official, Cebu Pacific reported an increase of 28 percent in passenger volume to 1.98 million in the first quarter of the year from last year’s data.

The Philippine Airlines, on the other hand, has opened new local and overseas routes. New schedules in summer destinations like Boracay and Busuanga were added; the airline also opened new routes to Vancouver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

In the shipping industry, Europe’s premier cruise company, Costa Cruises, has announced the launch of its new ship that will include the Philippines in its route, Durano said.