Ease of travel to PH to boost tourism

The Philippines is among the top 10 countries in the world where an international traveler faces the least hassle in terms of securing a visa.

This factor is considered crucial to boosting local tourism and economic growth.

According to the latest Visa Openness Report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the Philippines scored 84 out of 100, indicating its openness, or the extent in which the country is facilitating tourism.

Those on top of the list were Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Niue and Dominica, which all scored 100, followed by Haiti (99) and Macao, China (85).

“From a regional perspective, destinations in Asia and the Pacific have facilitated international travel the most. To visit Asia and the Pacific, 23 percent of the world’s population does not require a visa, another 23 percent may obtain a visa on arrival, and 5 percent may use an e-visa,” the UNWTO report said.

“Southeast Asia is, together with East Africa, the most open subregion because of the large number of visa on arrival requirements and the considerable number of visa exemptions, and e-visa alternatives,” it added.

In a separate statement, UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai noted that visa facilitation is central to stimulating economic growth and job creation through tourism.

“Although there is much room for improvement, we are pleased to see that a growing number of governments around the world is taking decisive steps in this regard,” Rifai said.

Countries in the Americas and in Asia and the Pacific are said to have been at the forefront of visa facilitation, while Europe and Middle East have more restrictive visa policies.

Overall, emerging economies tend to be more open than advanced ones, with Southeast Asia, East Africa, the Caribbean and Oceania among the most open subregions.

“UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to reach 1.8 billion by 2030, and easier visa procedures will be crucial to attract these travellers, especially tourists from emerging source markets like China, Russia, India and Brazil,” Rifai said.

Earlier research by the UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) showed that the G20 economies could boost their international tourist numbers by an additional 122 million, generate an extra $206 billion in tourism exports, and create over five million additional jobs by improving visa processes and entry formalities.

The same research carried out for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) member states and the Association of Southeast Asian countries indicated that visa facilitation could generate important gains for both groups, including the creation of 2.6 million jobs in Apec and 650,000 jobs in the Asean.