TACLOBAN CITY– Eastern Visayas may have only been visited by more than 1.6 million tourists but its contribution to the regional economy could not be sneered at.
Thus said Karina Rosa Tiopes, regional director of the Department of Tourism, who said that the tourist receipt, or the amount being spent by every tourist, in 2024 amounted to more than P39.33 billion which is more than 24 percent higher compared to the 2023 figure of P31.52 billion.
“You may say that we have only been visited by 1.6 million arrivals last year but look at the earnings. So we can really say that in tourism, there is really money. In tourism, it can create jobs; it can create livelihood,” she said during ‘Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas’ of the Philippine Information Agency on March 13.
In 2023, the region was visited by more than 1.3 million tourists with total receipts of P31.52 billion.
For this year, the DOT in the region is targeting 1.8 million tourist arrivals with an estimated tourist receipt of P67.05 billion.
The DOT in the region estimates that every tourist spends at least P5,758 a day.
Tiopes said that one of the biggest factors as to the increasing tourist arrivals in the region is its increasing access either by air, land, and sea.
“One of the factors that we attribute to the increase of our tourist arrivals is actually access. If you are difficult to go to, chance the visitors would not consider visiting your place. So it is important for us to have connectivity by air, sea, and by land,” she said.
She particularly mentioned the ongoing rehabilitation of the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport in Tacloban City in attracting more guests.
The airport, considered among the busiest in the country, has about 20 flights a day or 140 flights a day.
Tiopes also said that other airports in the region like those in Borongan City in Eastern Samar; Catarman in Northern Samar; and Calbayog City in Samar are seeing increase of daily flights.
She also noted that sea connectivity is also improving particularly those in Ormoc City, Leyte which have a daily Cebu schedule and in Allen, Northern Samar which serves as the main route in going to Luzon.
Tiopes also reported that their office together with the Department of Public Works and Highways are also improving land access by constructing more so-called ‘tourism roads’ or roads leading to a tourist destination.
Just last year, about 16.34 kms were constructed involving the amount of P930 million consisting of 33 projects, she said.
Tiopes said that among foreign guests, among the leading visitors are Americans, Chinese, Australians, Japanese, and Canadians.
She also disclosed that Indians are the ‘new market’ of the region among foreign guests.
These guests in the region visits the region’s tourist destinations.
These include the Kalanggaman Island in Palompon and Canigao Island in Canigao, both in Leyte; Lintaon Peak 16,000 blossoms in Baybay City, Leyte; Pinusilan Lagoon in Mapanas, Northern Samar; and Tagbak Marine Park in Liloan, Southern Leyte.
Among the six provinces of the region, Samar was visited by more than 383,724 tourists with tourist receipts of over P9.05 billion.
Tacloban City, the regional capital, meantime, was visited by more than 377,612 guests who spent more than P8.91 billion.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA, JOEY A. GABIETA)
