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DOT: ESL to increase Japanese arrivals in CV
- Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2015/07/03/dot-esl-increase-japanese-arrivals-cv-416814
- Friday, July 3, 2015
- By Katlene O. Cacho
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 plans to boost English as a second language (ESL) for Japanese tourists.
On top of Cebuanos’ fluency in English, the opening of more direct flights between Cebu and key cities in Japan is positioning the province as a key destination for ESL studies, according to DOT 7 Director Rowena Montecillo.
Montecillo noted that although the numbers aren’t as significant as the number of to South Koreans taking up ESL here, she finds the Japanese market promising. She cited the Mactan expansion of QQ English, a Japanese-owned ESL company in Cebu.
“Not only that we are cheaper for ESL studies compared to our Asean neighbors, but the increased direct flights between Cebu and Japan could fuel more Japanese arrivals not only for ESL but also for leisure,” she said.
Philippine Airlines is set to fly its Osaka-Cebu route daily, from just four times a week.
Japanese students taking up ESL here stay from six months to one year. There are also some who stay for only a week.
But compared to other foreign markets, the Japanese are high spenders, engaging in activities like diving and aqua sports.
Japan logged 37.28 percent growth or 84,471 arrivals during the first three months of this year.
Asked if the Japanese market will overtake Korea as the province’s leading tourism source market in the long run, Montecillo said: “There is always a possibility, knowing that Korean arrivals to the region has slowed down a bit as their interest toward travel is now shifting to other tourism destinations like Palawan.”
“They now want to see other islands in the country. This is on top of other factors, like Vietnam, that is now catching up in terms of travel and tourism,” she added.
DOT Tokyo attaché Valentino Cabansag said in a statement that they could breach the 500,000 threshold of Japanese arrivals to the Philippines in 2015, making the Philippines a major destination for Japanese travelers.