Here’s something interesting from the mailbox: “Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. announced that visa reforms to be implemented soon will boost the competitiveness of the Philippines as a tourism destination.”
The more relaxed visa policy will be implemented on Chinese nationals travelling to the Philippines as part of a tour group (30-day visa-free stay) and Indian nationals who have a valid American, Japan, Australian, Canadian, Schengen, Singapore, or United Kingdom visa (14-day visa-free stay).
Likewise, visa-free privileges for 166 countries/territories have been extended from 21 to 30 days.
The tourism secretary said: “We need to address the perception abroad that it is difficult to enter the Philippines. With these visa reforms, we will be at par with the entry policies of our neighbours in the region and, for some markets, more liberal. This will definitely help in achieving our target of 10 million foreign visitors by 2016.”
Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia allow entry of nationals of most countries without a visa for stays of up to 30 days. Tourists entering Cambodia are issued visas upon arrival valid for one month, except for nationals of ASEAN countries who are allowed to enter visa-free.
Philippines is suffering because of its misdirected misplaced policies and because it doesn’t understand its position in the world economy…! I can’t imagine why a Chinese or Indian national will want to come to Philippines unless they are genuine tourists or genuine businessmen, and in case of the latter, Philippines will benefit from these people coming here.