Philippines Department of Tourism visits Riyadh to promote leisure travel

RIYADH-Delegates from the Philippine Department of Tourism are currently visiting Riyadh to promote the Philippines as an ideal holiday destination for families seeking unique urban lifestyle, shopping, beach and luxury resort experiences. The visit coincides with the department’s participation at the Riyadh Travel Fair which is being held from April 15 – 18, 2014 at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh.

The fair is open to both travel and tourism professionals as well as the general public keen to discover more about exciting and exotic travel destinations. By using the Riyadh Travel Fair platform, the Philippine delegation that includes members from the Philippine Department of Tourism, Cebu Pacific Airlines and Shangri-La Hotels, hope to outreach to Saudi nationals and residents and provide them with detailed information on travel to the Philippines, exciting attractions that the destination has to offer, as well as answer any questions visitors may have.

Says Mr. Raymund Glen Agustin, Chief, Russia, India and the Middle East Market Development Group, Philippine Department of Tourism: “Saudi Arabia is an emerging market that both the department and the Philippine tourism industry are eagerly looking to jointly develop. Following a previous mission to the kingdom in December last year, we were keen to follow up quickly with another meaningful visit to keep the momentum running, demonstrating our commitment to the Saudi Arabian market.”

The Philippine Department of Tourism has identified the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a priority outbound market for development, especially as it currently ranks the largest visitor market to the Philippines from the Middle East. In 2013, the country hosted a total of 38,969 visitors from Saudi Arabia, which was an increase of 30% compared to the previous year. In 2013 Saudi Arabia was ranked as the 18th largest market worldwide for visitor numbers to the Philippines. The top five markets in order of those providing the most visitors were ranked with Korea in the top position followed by the United States, Japan, China and Australia.

2014 results also bode well for Saudi Arabia, with arrival numbers from the kingdom in January showing a 13% increase compared to the visitor number experienced in January in 2013. The propensity for further increase also remains strong following a plan for increased awareness and promotional campaigns to be held within Saudi Arabia throughout the year.

Additionally, G.C.C. and Saudi Arabian nationals travelling to the Philippines do not need an entry visa for a visit of 30 days or less.

The Philippine delegation will be present at the Riyadh Travel Fair Philippine pavilion from April 15 – 18. Travel industry professionals, as well as the general public interested in learning more of what the destination has to offer in terms of luxury and family accommodation, attractions, theme parks, shopping opportunities, nightlife and nature adventures are encouraged to meet the delegation directly at the Philippine pavilion.

Commented Mr. Agustin: “We hope to see as many Saudi travel professionals and travel enthusiasts as possible at the Riyadh Travel Fair, and then hope to see them again later in the year in the Philippines. For those that can’t visit us, we hope that they will join us on Facebook and Twitter which we will be launching next month in Arabic and English especially for the Middle East.”