PH ranked among top 15 tourism powerhouses
It is definitely more fun in the Philippines, as shown in its ranking in the 2018 “Power and Performance Report” by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The country placed 13th among the top 15 tourism powerhouses that demonstrated “absolute growth” in the last seven years.
The report assessed a total of 185 states based on the performance of their travel and tourism sector from 2011 to 2017. It highlighted a country’s scale of growth with regards to its travel and tourism. Four key areas were measured: international visitor spend, domestic spend, capital investment, and contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Moreover, the Philippines ranked 15th based on its compound annual growth rates between the period in WTTC’s four indicators.
Incredible numbers for the Philippines
The Philippines is the top 8 state with the largest growth in travel and tourism’s contribution to GDP from 2011 to 2017. In 2017 alone, the country’s travel and tourism sector accounted for USD66.3 billion.
Moreover, the Philippines’ annual growth rate was at 14.2 percent earning the 7th spot among states where travel and tourism contribution to GDP grew fastest.
According to the WTTC, the Philippines is “the only country” in the top ten that placed in both “power” and “performance” rankings of GDP contribution.
Meanwhile, with regards to international visitor spending, the Philippines recorded a 3.7 percent increase in the last seven years — earning the country 21st spot in terms of visitor export growth.
The Philippines’ domestic spending was impressive too. It landed on the sixth spot in the power rankings due to its domestic travel and tourism spending at USD45.7 billion in the previous year. Its “actual growth” from 2011 to 2017 was at USD26.2 billion. The Philippines has the third highest annual growth rate among 185 states.
Philippine tourism to continue its ascent
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat noted earlier that Philippine tourism is a “booming” industry. With this recent ranking and the various initiatives by the department’s new leadership, the country faces so many more possibilities and opportunities in travel and tourism.
Philippine tourism seems to be looking good especially when you consider the much-anticipated reopening of Boracay Island. Communities from lesser known tourist destinations in the country stand to benefit from this good fortune as well.
Through the past seven years, the Philippines experienced different kinds of tragedy — the latest being the devastating landslide in Baguio City due to Typhoon “Ompong” (Mankhut). Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped the country from providing visitors with unique experiences across its 7,000 islands.
via Philippine News Agency / Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
