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"Visa-upon-arrival" for Chinese tourists
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-10-04 11:10

The Philippine government will grant "visa-upon-arrival" privileges to all Chinese tourists arriving in the Philippines, whether individually or in groups, said Philippine Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano on Sunday.

Durano said that the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines had agreed to extend the privilege to Chinese tourists to boost their numbers.

He said the validity of the visa will be extended from seven days to 14 days after a survey has showed that the average time Chinese tourists spend in the Philippines is around 11 days.

The Philippine government will also cancel the 1 million peso bond of guarantee imposed on local tourism companies which bring Chinese tourists to the country, but the operators will still have to present a letter of guarantee to the government for full responsibility of the tourists.

The number of Chinese tourists to the Philippines increased in the first eight months this year to 26,471 from 20,065 in the same period last year.

Chinese tourists like spending time at the beaches, in eco-tourism, sight-seeing and shopping when they visit the Philippines.

The most frequented places by Chinese tourists are Metro Manila, Laoag, Tagaytay, Batangas, Subic and Clark.



 
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