RP tourist arrivals up 6%

RP tourist arrivals up 6%

MANILA: Tourist arrivals in the Philippines rose 6 percent in January amid an intensified campaign to lure more visitors into the country, the government said on Friday.

The Department of Tourism said a total of 220,248 tourists visited the Philippines in January, up from 207,755 recorded in the same month last year.

The bulk of tourists came from the United States, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.

In 2004, tourist arrivals in the country rose 20.1 percent despite persistent security concerns and negative travel advisories from several countries, including the United States.

The tourism department said a total of 2.291 million visitors arrived from January to December 2004, compared to 1.907 million in the previous year. -- DPA