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Philippines keen to advance tourism partnership with India

Asean

The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) is eager to implement a tourism deal with India, which will cover the expansion of air connectivity not just to Manila but also to Cebu, Clark and other gateways.

Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco conveyed this during a bilateral meeting with her Indian counterpart, Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendar Singh Shekhawat on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers Meeting in Malaysia on Jan. 20.

The DOT is ready to sign an implementation program to execute the Memorandum of Cooperation on Tourism that was signed between India and Philippines in 2019.

The program, the DOT said, will cover critical areas such as the expansion of air connectivity as well as joint marketing promotions to elicit mutual increase in tourism flows.

About five million Indian nationals traveled to Southeast Asia in 2024 but only around 79,000 went to the Philippines.

To capture this market, the Philippines earlier launched electronic visas for Indian nationals and is currently working to boost connectivity with the possibility of direct flights.

The government, Frasco said, also actively participates in joint working group meetings and business-to-business interactions with Indian counterparts.

At the ASEAN-India meet, Frasco, said, “We are hopeful that Air India will soon connect Indian cities directly to destinations in the Philippines that include Manila, Boracay, Clark, and Cebu.”

Shekhawat recognized the heritage shared between India and the Philippines, thanking the Southeast Asian nation for its initiatives to create more tourism potential between the two states.

“I’m sure that the efforts of the Philippines side and India in tourism, both of the offices are going to put in. The number of tourists inflow to both the countries are going to increase, and certainly, the share of the total number of tourists, Indian tourists visiting to the ASEAN countries—Philippines deserves much, much more,” he said.

Frasco said Manila would work to make the Philippines a top destination for Indian tourists, seeing the vast potential of the market, especially as the country recalibrates amid the low arrivals from its top source market China.

“The Philippines offers a diverse array of experiences that cater to the unique preferences of Indian travelers from our world-class and award-winning beaches, our top dive sites, and rich cultural offerings to our renowned wedding destinations such as Cebu,” she said, also adding the other MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) venues that can cater to the market.

“The Philippine experience is one that harmoniously blends natural beauty with cultural richness, providing Indian tourists with a perfect mix of relaxation, adventure, and discovery,” she added.

Source: PNA