5 Cruise terminals to be developed
By J.Lo
"On part of PPA, we have started building terminals dedicated for cruise operations only, and we are making sure existing ports can accommodate gigantic cruise ships that will come in," Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager Jay Santiago said PPA will add five new cruise terminals across archipelago in bid to keep country's title as Best Cruise Destination in Asia.
PPA is developing cruise terminals in Boracay, Coron, Camiguin, Siargao and Puerto Galera, all considered tourist hotbeds of Philippines.
At present, country can welcome cruise boats in just five ports, mostly in Luzon. These ports are Currimao in Ilocos Norte, Salomague in Ilocos Sur, Manila, El Nido and Tagbilaran.
Between October and December, Santiago estimates more than 40,000 tourists will visit Philippines via cruise ship by industry giants such as AIDA Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises and Windstar Cruises.
On Oct. 16, World Cruise Awards named Philippines Best Cruise Destination in Asia for 2023, besting India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
As of September, PPA has facilitated entry of 46,657 passengers from cruise vessels since cruise tours returned to country in February.
Agency is currently spending P620 million to deliver first of its kind at Port of Jubang in Siargao.
Prior to pandemic in 2019, Philippines took in 213,765 passengers from cruise ships, e majority called at Port of Manila.
Meanwhile, Department of Tourism (DOT) is planning to make country more attractive to foreigners studying English language.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco "stressed importance" of English as second language (ESL) sector "to Philippine tourism industry."
DOT said ESL industry currently caters to non-English speaking foreigners from South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan and Thailand. It also noted Vietnam, Mongolia and Russia are considered "emerging markets."
Frasco's "listening tour" executives and representatives of ESL centers in Cebu on Oct. 12 tackled concerns such as how Philippines can highlight its "strong presence as an ESL provider."
DOT and institutions also discussed how to "liberalize and digitalize visa policies and other processes involving legal documentary requirements that hinder country from expanding its ESL offering," agency added.
DOT "sees ESL as big come-on, especially for non-English speaking markets," it previously said.
According to English Proficiency Index by Education First, Philippines ranks 22nd in world, tagged as "high proficiency." It places second in Asia, only behind Singapore which is second worldwide.
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