Boracay is 16th favorite tourist destination of Chinese

MANILA, Philippines – With the Philippines’ recent focus on boosting tourist arrivals in the country and intensifying its tourism campagin, it’s no wonder that country’s attracting more and more foreign visitors. 

READ: 2.8-M tourist arrivals in Jan-July half of 2013 target 

In 2012, China, with its big tourist market, was the Philippines’ 3rd biggest contributor in tourist arrivals, making up for 48.58% of the country’s total tourist arrivals. 

However, one of the Philippines’ top tourist destinations — Boracay — merely remains to be their 16th favorite destination, trailing behind Bali, Paris and Chiang Mai, among others.

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website, released this list of the top 20 Chinese tourist destinations outside mainland China:

1. Hong Kong, China (50%)
2. Phuket, Thailand (250%)
3. Taiwan (350%)
4. Bangkok, Thailand (270%)
5. Paris, France (360%)
6. Dubai, UAE (210%)
7. Macau, China (50%)
8. Seoul, South Korea (180%)
9. Singapore (170%)
10. Bali, Indonesia (310%)
11. Rome, Italy (180%)
12. Chiang Mai, Thailand (180%)
13. New York, United States (280%)
14. London, United Kingdom (120%)
15. Jeju Island, South Korea (570%)
16. Boracay, Philippines (360%)
17. Kyoto, Japan (580%)
18. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (550%)
19. Hanoi, Vietnam (510%)
20. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (190%)

According to the China Tourism Academy, outbound travels of the Chinese were estimated at 94 million, spending US$117.6-B. The number of travelers is said to be growing at 15% per year and their spending, at 20%.

TripAdvisor operates in China through its special version called Daodao.com which garnered millions of unique visitos between July and August 2013.

In a press statement, TripAdvisor China’s managing director Lily Cheng said, “This new generation of Chinese outbound travellers is making their own decisions about where to go, where to stay and what to do by doing their own research online, going beyond the old stereotype of big buses of group tourists.

“These travellers are savvy, sophisticated and do make an effort to understand and respect the local culture by doing a lot of online research before their trip. As they explore outside of mainland China, they are deliberately seeking out websites that have an established international presence to find more deals and more content.”

Despite a territorial spat between the Philippines and China on islands and rock formations over the West Philippine Sea, Chinese tourists still see Philippine beaches as an attractive destination. Being at the 16th spot, a bigger share of the market and their spending awaits the Philippines’ tourism industry if the standing improves.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez remains confident that he will reach the target of 10 million tourists by 2016. – Rappler.com