Warmer relations to draw more Chinese visitation
Tourist arrivals to the Philippines could grow by 10 percent this year, according to property consultancy Colliers International Philippines.
“The growth of the Philippine tourism sector will be sustained by the influx of visitors from the country’s traditional markets such as South Korea, USA, Japan, and China. The four economies account for nearly 60 percent of annual tourist arrivals in the country. Warming relations between the Chinese and Philippine governments should result in more Chinese tourists,” said the property consultancy in a report cited by the Asia Gaming Brief.
“Outlook for Philippine tourism remains bullish and this encourages hotel developers to ramp up construction of accommodation facilities throughout the country,” said Chris Wells, Colliers International Philippines’ consultant for hotels and leisure services.
Developers are expected to add around 4,000 new hotel rooms in Metro Manila this year; about 30 percent of that is from Okada Manila, the newest casino resort in Entertainment City.
Colliers also expects occupancy rates in Metro Manila to hover around 65 percent to 70 percent over the next 12 months, with around 6.6 million foreign tourists expected to visit the country in 2017.
