Phl sets tourism mission to HK

MANILA, Philippines - The government is organizing a tourism mission to Hong Kong as it expects an influx of travelers from the city in the coming days with the resolution of the dispute over a hostage crisis in Manila’s Rizal Park four years ago.

Tourism Assistant Secretary Benito Bengzon Jr. on Thursday said the mission would be undertaken with the private sector.

“Now that Hong Kong travel agents can resume selling tour packages to the Philippines, we can expect a spike in HK arrivals in the country,” Bengzon said.

“We are happy that Chinese arrivals in the Philippines grew by 42 percent during the first two months of the year. However, we still need to intensify our efforts so we can match, if not exceed, the growth rate of 70 percent recorded in 2013,” he said.

From January to February this year, the Chinese market, the third biggest source of foreign tourists in the Philippines, registered a total of 99,017 tourists.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said last year that China arrivals are growing everywhere.

“They have a growing middle class that wants to see beautiful places like our country,” he said.

“There is a certain momentum in travel that is above all the tension. There is some kind of a tacit agreement around the world that tourism is not part of any political issue,” Jimenez said.

Irrelevant

Meanwhile, former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada yesterday said it is immaterial whether or not an apology was issued to Hong Kong over the Rizal Park hostage crisis in 2010 where eight tourists died.

“Let us not think of that, it’s petty. I apologized because it happened in Manila, so the President has nothing to do with it,” said Estrada, who arrived from Hong Kong yesterday afternoon on board a Cathay Pacific Airlines flight.

“It’s done, we are back to normal. All the sanctions imposed on us have been lifted,” Estrada said. – With Rudy Santos