By Azer N. Parrocha
President Benigno S. Aquino III exchanges pleasantries with Princess Anne of Great Britain during the courtesy call at the Music Room of the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday (March 17). Her visit is in connection with her charity and various humanitarian works. Also in photo are British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Anwar Ahmad and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary Mateo Montano. (MNS photo)
MANILA (PNA) – A tourism official on Tuesday said that the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European or ‘Brexit’ will have no impact on Philippine inbound tourism.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Assistant Secretary Rolando ‘Alan’ Cañizal said that while it might not affect inbound tourism, it might make it more difficult for Filipinos to travel to both UK and other European regions.
“We do not see any impact on inbound tourism to the Philippines but more for Filipinos going there as visa requirements may become stricter,” Cañizal said in a text message.
The DOT official, however, said that it is too early to tell.
“It is too early to assess its (Brexit) impact as the implementation will still need to undergo certain processes within the EU,” Cañizal noted.
Data from the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) showed that in 2015, Europe is the region with the most tourist arrivals at 609-million constituting for 51 percent of total arrivals.
Asia and the Pacific acquired 278-million tourist arrivals (23 percent), Americans with 191-million tourist arrivals (16 percent), Africa with 53-million (5 percent) and Middle East with 54-million (5 percent). (PNA)