TOURISM stakeholders in destinations like Boracay Island underscored the economic benefits of the growing number of Chinese tourists in the country, even as some government officials, lawmakers and netizens clamored for tighter visa rules for the market.

Sally (not her real name), whose family owns one of the oldest resorts on Boracay, told the BusinessMirror, “without them (Chinese tourists), our businesses will be dead during these months of July to September.”

She recalled, “back in the day, we would just stare at each other, play pusoy-dos (Filipino poker) because there were no guests. So even if there are plenty complaints about them, and especially their unruly behavior, we welcome them (Chinese tourists).”

Despite the initial confusion over the suspension of new and additional charter flights to Caticlan and Kalibo by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), then its subsequent lifting, this writer observed a large number of the tourists on the island, famous the world over for its creamy white sand beach, were mostly Chinese and Korean families and tour groups, with a handful of Europeans, and Filipino families as well.

Sally said the CAB ruling affected the large resort chains that cater primarily to the Chinese market, but most of the Chinese guests booked at the resorts this month, including her family’s, were free and independent tourists (FIT). FITs are either solo or travel groups with less than 10 persons, and booked their own stays and itineraries.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is targeting an increase in Chinese tourists to 1.63 million this year, up almost 47 percent from arrivals in 2018.

Visa-on-arrival only for 8%

As this developed, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat emphasized only 8.2 percent of the 1.11 million Chinese tourists who arrived in the Philippines last year received visas-upon-arrival (VUA). The topic of VUA for Chinese tourists was discussed at Monday’s Cabinet meeting.

“In 2018, regular Chinese tourists issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs consular offices abroad were 1,023,824. VUA was 91,261, or roughly 8.2 percent of Chinese tourist arrivals,” she said in an interview.

During the Cabinet meeting, the DOT chief also explained to her colleagues that it still takes 10 days to process the application for VUA; “it’s not like in other countries where you can just decide to go, and when you land at their airport, you get a visa after you’ve paid a fee. We have a ‘hybrid VUA’ in the sense that the application still has to go through the B.I., and only DOT-accredited tour operators can make the request [on behalf of their clients]. Said visitors will only be allowed entry after submission of all pertinent documents subject to the review and approval of the B.I.”

As such, President Duterte decided to keep the VUA in place. (See, “Duterte opts to continue visa-upon-arrival scheme for Chinese, with tighter rules,” in the BusinessMirror, August 6, 2019.) The DOT chief disclosed the “B.I. will be strengthened,” while there were suggestions that VUA term for Chinese tourists “be shortened to 30 days.” Under the DOJ’s Department Circular No. 041 dated Aug. 15, 2017, signed by former Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, Chinese tourists granted VUA could stay up to six months.

In his press briefing with the Malacañang Press Corps on Tuesday, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said, Duterte wanted the same VUA privilege for Filipinos traveling to China. “The President said, whatever we do for them here, we should get the same privilege when we also go there; that in 10 days, they should be able to vet [our tourists applying for a visa to go there],” Panelo said in Filipino.

Some tourism stakeholders urged the VUA for Chinese tourists be thoroughly reviewed, especially with regard to the actual benefits the economy is supposed to receive from this growing market.

“While the mainland Chinese tourists are giving the much required numbers to achieve DOT’s foreign arrivals target for 2019, the revenue benefits still have to be established. There has to be a review of how much of the Chinese arrivals are genuine tourists or visitors as opposed to those who are coming in for other purposes,” asserted Ritchie Tuaño, president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association.

China is now the second top source of tourists, based on DOT data from January to May 2019. Chinese tourists jumped by some 31 percent to 733,769 for the five-month period, and accounted for a 21.03-percent share to total tourist arrivals. No data was available on how many came in with VUA.

He added, “In the interest of national security, Philippine Immigration must ensure that VUA is granted only to genuine tourists. It should be ‘fool-proof’ from any abuses or comes with a hefty penalty for those found violating the terms of their visa. The pros and cons of the influx of Chinese tourist should be weighed in and a balance needs to be established between generated numbers, revenue income versus social and environmental impact. Tourism should support the local businesses and not their own (i.e. restaurants, accommodation, tour companies and etc). Our government should also look into demanding reciprocity on visa requirements between China and the Philippines.”

Prior to the DOJ circular in 2017, VUAs for Chinese tourists were also granted by the B.I. under an order issued on July 23, 2014. Applicants could send in their requests for VUA two days before arrival, for processing by the Commission. Said tourists could only stay for a maximum of 14 days. The same conditions were also imposed on VUA applications from cruise passengers, in a B.I, order on Oct. 13, 2014.

In September 2014, the B.I. also started granting visa-free entry to Chinese nationals with valid and current American, Japanese, Australian, Canadian, or Schengen visas. These Chinese nationals may stay a maximum of 21 days in the Philippines.#