RIYADH – The Philippines is starting to make ground in the Saudi Arabian tourism market, with the number of Saudi visitors to the Philippines on an upward trend since 2009, according to a press statement issued by the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday. From only 19,101 Saudi visitors in 2009, the Philippines attracted a record 38,969 last year, a growth of 104 percent, said the statement. Last year's total was a growth of nearly 29.7 percent from the previous year, while the average growth of visitor arrivals since 2009 has been at 19.8 percent. The consistent increase has been helped by the Embassy's tourism promotion activities in the Kingdom, in partnership with Saudi travel agencies accredited with the Philippine Department of Tourism, the press statement said. In April 2013, the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Department of Tourism participated in the Riyadh Travel Fair. The event drew 998 visitors, with many inquiring about holiday packages to prime destinations like Boracay, Palawan, Bohol's Chocolate Hills and Panglao Island, and Davao's Pearl Farm. In December 2013, representatives from the Department of Tourism (DOT) came to the Kingdom to formally launch the Philippine tourism in Riyadh. The event was attended by tourism officials from the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and tour operators in Riyadh and nearby regions.
