Despite disappointing tourist figures for the first six months an uptrend is projected towards the Yule season

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Part of Business Day Special Report

Title: Despite disappointing tourist figures for the first six months an uptrend is projected towards the Yule season
Language: English
Year: 1975
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Fulltext: Thursday, September 11, 1975 Page 3 3 pite disappointing tourist figures the first six months an uptrend c TRANSPORT FORWARDERS, INC. * - • Door to door ocean, air and inland cargo forwarder i With agents in 35 countries i An affiliate of NOVO INTERNATIONAL i Licensed customs broker, air and ocean cargo. FOR INTERNATIONAL TOTAL TRANSPORTATION CONTACT: INTERMODAL TRANSPORT FORWARDERS, INC. 2nd FLOOR, UNION CEMENT BLDG., A. BONIFACIO DRIVE, PORT AREA, MANILA 48- 84-16; 40-79-96; 49- 37 86-td 89; 83-98-01 to 04 TEL NOS: projected towards the Yule season 26,132 arrivals and down 17 per cent from the previous month’s level. The June figure, incidentally, was the lowest attained during this period. Considering its past downward course, the country may see a lesser number of visiting Japanese during the second half of this year. However, unconfirmed reports from the DOT indicate that the actual number of Japanese who visited the untry in July was not much less than in June. Contrast ,In contrast to the Japanese pattern, the number of Balikbayans may increase during the second half along with the totals for the Americans and Australians who placed fourth overall during the 1975 first semester and fifth overall last year. Tourism in the immediate it two years has literally :> grossed by leaps and jnds — one month’s roti being surpassed by the ct and so on with almost tnotonous regularity — it it is a simple task to ike projections of its uro performance. The astounding results of i Department of Tourism’s likbayan and educational vel and tourism campaigns is advance bookings mid permit nothing else t equally favorable protions for the year. Despite DOT statisti >wing declining numbers visitor arrivals in the first months of the current ir (with the exception of ry and May), the optiremains high. The first semester total of urist arrivals in 1975 comres favorably with the first mester of 1974. Also, the ne total arrivals, while lallest of the first six jnths, was more than any anthly total achieved in le comparative 1974 riod. Christmas arrivals More visitors are expected the remaining half of 175. Towards the Christmas ason, BD Research projects out 282,000. In 1974, tual visitor arrivals for the ime period totalled 8,755. This normally means greater influx of tourists, irticularly homecoming erseas Filipinos, or Balik yans, starting at about A ♦< ill • » I 0 U.• I •II i I It was the large inflow of tors during the last quartof 1974 that was mainly for that year’s 69 cent increase in visitor al over the 1973 figures, trend in the 1974 first almost duplicates this ’s pattern. It was mostly rd also in the first : of 1?74. t t VISITOR ARRIVALS 1973 to 1975 January February March April May June July August September October November December 1974 January February March April May June July August September October November December 1975 January February March April June July * August * September * October * November * December * o Q o 242,811 12,213 13,179 14,414 18,07 15,843 18,534 19,031 19,79 19,708 24,618 26,436 40,959 410,138 33,680 30,443 31,612 29,723 23,855 33,869 32,145 29,428 31,258 38,216 48,347 47,562 541,161 47,091 54,516 44,571 38,021 35,576 45,336 46,028 46,722 47,416 48,110 48,794 Source: Dept of Tourism * projections Barring any serious setbacks in the world’s economies during the remaining months of this year, the last quarter of 1975 should figure is good enough for a third place finish. This contrasts sharply with the actual total of 71,523 Balikbayans who visited the country last year when they placed second to Japanese in total rrivals. Balikbayans also placed second behind the Japanese in this year’s first half, but unlike the Japanese whose monthly trend has genrally been declining, that of the Balikbayan’s was on the upswing. The actual number of returnees for this year’s first six months stood at 35,431 over the 1974 total 27,345 visitors. Although projections on visitor arrivals and receipts for 1975 are considerably larger than last year’s, a factor that may throw these estimates out of gear are the Japanese. Japanese who visitea the country during the first half of this year, have been contiguously declining. In the first semester, for instance, Japanese alTh als numbered 115,353, or 45 per cent of the semester’s total arrivals of 258,755. But the trend was erratic, mainly characterized by large decreases against minimal increases. In June Japanese visitors totalled 10,985, off by 58 per cent from January’s The number of Balikbayans for 1975 will be less than last year, ranging from 66,000 to 70,000, but the • f •II therefore see a recovery similar to that staged during the same period last year. Added to the approaching Christmas visitor rush is the expected recovery of a derable portion of the world’s economies towards the final quarter of this year. It was this predicted improvement that led Tourism Secretary Jose Aspiras to comment last July that “with the world economy expecting an upturn during the later part of this year, we can only expect a better performance till December.” Note should be taken, however, of recent reports of an oil price hike that is rumored to be imposed by the oil producing nations ty ober. * This notwithstanding, the DOT estimated early this year that for the whole of 1975, 560,000 tourists will visit the country, 40 per cent more than the previous year’s actual turnout. Topnotchers The Japanese, accoring to the DOT, will still lead the visitors list, this time contributing some 250,000 tourists. The Americans will move up from third overall in 1974 to second place this year with an estimated 0 visitors. ------- a," --------- -= •J OI» 85,00 * » I « * * II * Oct* * I • A 1 I I < KI I ' The number of Australians who visited the country so far this year is a great improvement over the equivalent period last year. For this year’s first half, 18388 Australians visited the country most of them through package tours. This figure is 97 per cent more than the comparable 9,057 of last year. This first semester total is also equivalent to 91 per cent of the total number of Australians who visited during the whole of 1974. By yearend 1975, there might be three times more Australian visitors than there were last year. I J I II II k» A AW Barangay Day... reminds us of our beautiful traditions as a people, of our greatness as a nation and of our destiny as a country. It is a day to cherish. - 6th Floor, Federation Center, Muelle de Binondo, Manila P. O. Box 23 e Cable Address: FECCOP Telephone: 47-49-21 FEDERATION OF FILIPINO-CHINESE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, INC. } I