RP shrugs off U.S. travel warnings

RP shrugs off U.S. travel warnings

MANILA: Tourists are shrugging off recent travel advisories by the United States and other countries as visitor arrivals in the Philippines are rising, Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon said Thursday.

Gordon said tourist arrivals as of November, were up six percent from last year, buoyed by visitors from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia.

This made up for a reduction in arrivals from Europe and the United States, even among ethnic Filipinos in North America, he said in an interview with ABS-CBN television station.

He did provide specific figures but said tourist numbers would be even higher if the United States had not issued warnings about travel to Southeast Asia due to fears of possible terror attacks.

Washington has issued a series of warnings of threats to Americans in the wake of the Oct. 12 bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali that claimed more than 190 lives. -- AFP