With the recent ban against Chinese nationals working as Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), an expert on tourism and hospitality suggested that visa restrictions be eased for legitimate Chinese tourists.

Speaking at the recent general membership meeting of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA), Leechiu Hotels, Tourism, and Leisure director Alfred Lay reiterated the importance of the Chinese tourist market to the Philippines.

Lay explained that, at present, visas are one of several issues preventing Chinese tourists from coming to the Philippines. Another factor involves stricter outgoing currency capital flows not only to the Philippines but also to other nations within the ASEAN region.

He said: “If we remove more of these barriers, the ease of [Chinese] travel to the Philippines will improve, and that’s the overall aim.”

Lay also believes the imposition of stricter visa rules on Chinese nationals were mostly due to concerns that some of them used tourist visas to come into the Philippines to work at POGOs.

He added: “Once the closure of all POGOs happens, the government can consider easing visa restrictions for Chinese arrivals. This could put us on par with our Southeast Asian neighbours and attract more Chinese visitors.”

A necessary recalibration

The Department of Tourism (DOT) disclosed earlier that it plans to recalibrate promotional initiatives to boost arrivals from other source markets, including South Korea, the United States, and Japan amidst the slow return of Chinese tourists.

To make this more effective, Lay suggested that the country needs to look at rapidly-growing source markets, including the Middle East, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and India.

While these would not fully compensate for the Chinese tourists in the short term, Lay said such diverse markets still give the Philippines a huge advantage.

As he explains: “They’re familiar with our people, so the connection is there. If we can promote to those markets, they can find reasons and interests to come to the Philippines.”