After drug mules' execution, Tourism chief promotes PHL in China

Barely two weeks after the execution of three drug couriers or "drug mules" in China, Tourism secretary Alberto Lim went to China to promote the Philippines' tourist attractions. Lim is in China from April 10 to 13 to promote the Philippines in China's outbound travel market, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday. "He arrived with a delegation of more than a dozen Filipino travel and tours operators," the DFA said in a news release posted on its website Wednesday afternoon. On March 30 this year, three drug couriers — Sally Villanueva, Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain — were executed in China after they were caught bringing in drugs to China in 2008. Credo was cremated while Batain was buried last Sunday. Villanueva will be buried on Thursday. Meeting with Chinese officials The DFA said Lim met with his counterpart, China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) Chairman Shao Qi Wei, on Monday at the CNTA headquarters in central Beijing. During the meeting, Lim said China is a "very important market for Philippine tourism" and that the administration of President Benigno Aquino III "is working hard to improve infrastructure, facilities, and services in preparation for the arrival of more Chinese tourists." The DFA said more than 200,000 Chinese travelers arrived in the Philippines in 2010. The figure shows an annual growth of 18 percent, making it one of the fastest-growing markets for Philippine tourism, the DFA said. Lim also told Shao the Philippine government hopes to double the number of tourist arrivals in the Philippines from three million to six million by 2016. "He expects that China, as a close neighbor of the Philippines with the largest number of outbound tourists in the region, will be a key source of these arrivals," the DFA said. New policies The DFA said Lim also briefed Shao on the following issues: