THE Department of Tourism (DoT) and Singapore Airlines Ltd. on Tuesday signed a joint marketing agreement to promote the Philippines as a destination for Indian travelers, with the Singapore carrier providing the connecting flights.
Undersecretary for Tourism Development Benito C. Bengzon, Jr. said during the contract signing in Makati that the target is to double the number of Indian tourist arrivals via the marketing deal.
“It will involve tactical advertising; we will also be organizing familiarization tours both for agents in India, there will also be a product development component wherein we will customize the product offer to make sure that they suit the needs of the travelers from India,” he added.
Mr. Bengzon told BusinessWorld that while the Philippines is positioning itself as a “very strong island, beach holiday destination,” the department has also noted a trend of Indian wedding and honeymoon-related travel.
“Our estimate is that each foreign tourist coming into the Philippines spends an average of about $1,000 per visit so you can just imagine the revenue that we’re able to generate if we’re able to attract 100,000 Indian travelers by the end of the year,” he added.
Mr. Bengzon said that with Singapore Airlines finally having direct flights from Singapore to Cebu, Kalibo, Aklan, and Davao, tourists from second-tier and third-tier cities in India are more likely to visit secondary destinations in the Philippines.
Singapore Airlines senior vice president of sales and marketing Campbell David Mcgregor Wilson told BusinessWorld that the airline also plans to increase daily flights from Ninoy Aquino International Airport to five from the current four.
Mr. Wilson also said that if the airline cannot add more flights, it will use larger planes.
According to the DoT, India is one of the fastest-growing markets for outbound travel, with 27.12 million Indians who have traveled overseas in 2017, a number which is expected to rise to 50 million by 2020.
The number of indian visitors to the Philippines rose 23% this year, and is expected to hit 100,000 by year’s end. The total number of inbound tourists is expected to hit 6.5-6.6 million. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
