Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco told reporters during the opening of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Tourism Forum on Jan. 28 that the country had been struggling to bring back tourism arrival numbers without the Chinese market.
“To be perfectly honest, it has been very difficult to fully recover the numbers of the country without the Chinese market. Which is why we are grateful to our President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.), who has directed, by way of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the institution of visa-free travel (for Chinese tourists) coming into the country,” she added.
Asked about how to balance the tensions between China and the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea, Frasco replied that it was not the mandate of the DOT to balance tensions but rather to promote the Philippines.
She pointed out that since 2022, the agency had been advocating for visa-free travel for Chinese tourists, especially since other countries had already done it.
Positive signal
Foreign Service Circular No. 2026-005 has allowed Chinese nationals to come to and stay in the Philippines for 14 days without a visa, provided the purpose of visit is for business or vacation, starting Jan. 15.
These tourists who want to avail of the visa-free privilege will only be permitted entry through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu.
Zhang said many countries are competing with the Philippines in attracting the Chinese market.
According to Chinese Consul General to Cebu Zhang Zhen, the new visa-free policy was a “very positive signal,” as Chinese visitors now find it more convenient to come to the Philippines.
Zhang told reporters in an earlier interview on Jan. 27 that she had already received inquiries from friends who asked her to help find local destinations in the country. She also noticed that the Chinese market has shown increased interest in Cebu, which hosts one of the two airports where Chinese nationals availing of the policy could enter.
Aside from the visa-free policy, another advantage of the Philippines was the warmth of Filipinos.
“Filipinos are very warm, warm-hearted, open-minded. This is a Philippine strength. And that is what Chinese tourists favor,” Zhang said.
Better infrastructure and services
But to make the Philippines more attractive as a tourist destination, Zhang said the country could improve infrastructure and services for tourists, such as air connectivity, traffic and security conditions, Mandarin-language services, and a more tourist-friendly environment.
What also attracts Chinese tourists to the Philippines is its ESL (English-as-a-second-language) programs.
“Many Chinese like to learn more English. And of course, speaking English is one of the Filipinos’ strengths. And personally, I also know quite a lot of Chinese families who wish to come to the Philippines to learn English,” Zhang said.
Many Chinese families have also come to the Philippines to learn English in recent years, she added.
Contributor
