Can Ph Revokes the Chinese Visa to Prop Up Her Tourism Industry?

 

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

While going back inside the Sison Auditorium after the State of the Province Address of the Governor of Pangasinan, I saw Bombo Radyo Framy Sabado interviewing Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Christopher “Toff” de Venecia.

I stopped my pacing on the light brown narra floor of the ritzy building and whisked up my cellphone cum tape recorder from my right pants pocket and butted in after the Solon answered Framy’s query about the vaunted employment juggernaut ‘s Creative Law he authored and was lengthily reported by my son Jigger (the De Venecias (Mother (come backing congressional bet Manay Gina) and Son P.R Man) at our Northern Watch Newspaper.

 

Here’s my posers to the young Congressman in English:

Me: Are you a member in Congress of the Committee on Tourism?

Him: No.

Me: Are you privy about Tourism issues in our country like the Philippines being a laggard while ASEAN members like Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and Cambodia have dusted us off in snaring foreign tourists?

 

The Congressman extensively answered my queries that I’ll be posting soon in my blog for all and sundry to read.

BY THE WAY, here’s the score of the state of our tourism industry versus those of the mentioned Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN):

“Thailand has reclaimed its title (for year 2024 – emphasis mine) as the most visited country in Southeast Asia by getting 35.5 million foreign visitors in 2024 after losing the crown to Malaysia in 2023.

Malaysia was second with 25 million visitors, which was short of its target of 27.3 million. Vietnam ranked third with 17.5 million visitors, followed by Singapore with 16.5 million and Indonesia with 13.9 million. The rest included Cambodia with 6.7 million arrivals, the Philippines with 5.4 million, Laos with 4.1 million, and Myanmar with 1.06 million” (E.vnexpress.net/)

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Thailand became No. 1 in drawing foreign tourists among the members of ASEAN because she revoked the visa requirement for Mainland Chinese tourists to come to her shore.

The second biggest Southeast Asia’s economy hosted 32.7 million foreign tourists as of December 8, 2024 generating approximately 1.5 trillion baht (US$43.9 billion) in revenue.
China was the largest source of visitors of Thailand last year, with 6.3 million arrivals, followed by Malaysia (4.6 million), India (1.9 million), South Korea (1.7 million), and Russia (1.5 million).

Can the Philippines – which is No. 7 (eclipsed by backwater Cambodia which is No. 6, sanamagan!) emulates Thailand in getting rid of those Chinese visas to catapult her slow growing tourism numbers in the coming years?

It is quite impossible because of the military spat we have with Beijing. Incase that would happen, we could not be a Thailand in drawing Chinese tourists with an average of P100, 000 to spend from per tourist in Dakak, Boracay, Palawan, Siargao, or whatchacamacallit.

With that, we deprive our countrymen of employment and better standard of living unless national security is paramount to us despite the humongous number of the Chinese tourists.

What say you my friend on my opinion?