Philippines cited by Forbes as among 7 potential post-COVID major tourist destinations
MANILA, Philippines — A contributor of Forbes.com recently listed Philippines as among the seven countries which could become a major tourist destination in a post-COVID world.
The country joins Ethiopia, Iran, Myanmar (Burma), Georgia, Slovenia and Tunisia, in the travel feature “Rising Stars In Travel” written by Jared Ranahan published May 31 on Forbes.com.
“With roughly 7,500 islands to choose from, this massive archipelago has something to offer for even the most finicky of tourists,” Ranahan wrote.
In his feature, Ranahan shared that tourists can enjoy a “deep immersion into the mainstream Filipino culture” in Manila and Quezon City.
“Those planning to lounge on the sandy shores should head to Visayas, the country’s central archipelago, where island destinations like Palawan and Boracay offer some of the nation’s finest white sand beaches, as well as countless opportunities to spot some of the endemic plant and animal species of the Philippines,” he also cited.
The Department of Tourism, for its part, welcomed the latest tourism-related citation.
“We are pleased to have received this bit of good news, especially after our industry had been hit hard by the global health pandemic,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
She added that international recognition like this, “especially by a well-respected publication like Forbes, in this post-COVID-19 world will go a long way in helping the Philippine tourism industry get back on its feet.”
On Tuesday, Puyat said the international arrivals declined by 62.21% between January to May this year with only 1,318,719 foreign visitors compared to last year’s 3,489,270 due to the travel ban imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said that all visas were removed since March 22 so there were “zero arrivals” in April and May.
Puyat also said the total inbound revenue for January to April also decreased by 60.56% or an estimated P81.05 billion revenue compared to the previous year’s P205.50 billion revenue recorded in the same period last year.
Despite this, the tourism chief said it would reopen the tourism in the country “slowly but surely.”
“With the public’s health and safety in mind, we are preparing our tourism sites in areas now under the Modified General Community Quarantine for their gradual reopening for domestic tourism,” Puyat said.
In January, American news website HuffPost listed El Nido as one of the the top destinations desired by travelers for solo trips and “safe” stay for 2020.
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