Immigration: Foreign tourists staying longer in PHL

Good news for the Philippine tourism industry: foreign tourists want to stay longer in the country — with some even staying beyond the date originally authorized in their visas. According to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Philippines is becoming a favorite destination among tourists in the Asia Pacific region. “It appears that foreign visitors become more attracted to our country after arriving here to the extent that many of them would decide to prolong their stay instead of leaving before the lapse of their authorized initial stay or visa," Immigration commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said Tuesday. David also clarified that foreign tourists may extend their stay in the country as long as they do the necessary paper work before their authorized length of stay lapses, stick to the conditions of their stay and pay the necessary fees to the BI. Data from the BI showed that tourist visa extensions peaked in January to June, with 13,000 applications on average filed and approved monthly, These were at the lowest in July when only 9,000 applications were filed and approved. Over 81,287 visa extensions applications were processed and approved by the BI from January to July of 2011, compared to the 20,804 applications processed and approved in the same period last year. BI Visa Extension Office chief Rodelio Sapian said that under existing rules foreigners who don’t require visas are allowed in the country for 21 days while visa-required foreigners are given an initial stay of 59 days. Tourist arrivals in the first four months of the year hit more than 1.3 million, according to the Tourism Department. The figure is a 13.33 percent increase compared to the 1,153,198 tourist arrivals during the same period in 2010. Most of the foreign tourists, the department noted, came from East Asia — in particular, South Korea and Taiwan. American and Canadian tourists came in second while Southeast Asian tourists were the third biggest chunk of Philippine tourists. Top destinations Earlier, the DOT reported that Cebu and Boracay were on top of the list of favorite destinations for Chinese tourists celebrating the Spring Festival Week with over 3,500 Chinese nationals visiting Philippine shores. Last month, Boracay Island in Aklan was also hailed as the fourth best island in the world in Travel + Leisure Magazines’ annual “World’s Best Awards." — BC/VS, GMA News