<div>The Philippines is considering lifting visa requirements for Indian travellers as it targets a four-fold increase in visitors from the country in two years.</div><div> </div><div>India is the 10th largest source market for Philippine foreign tourist arrivals but the potential for growth is tremendous, Philippines Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr said.</div><div> </div><div>Some 60,000 Indians visited the Philippines last year and Jimenez expects this number to rise to 250,000 by 2016-end with visa relaxation and new tourism promotion activities.</div><table width="200" border="1" align="right" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr><td><img src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=55ffec6c-8f45-4593-bc2a-779644c1fb30&groupId=219112&t=1422860864206" width="200" height="200" vspace="5" hspace="5" alt="" /></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 15.3999996185303px;"> Ramon R. Jimenez Jr</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div><div>"India will be one of the top five source markets for us by the end of 2016. We are determined to achieve that," he told reporters in New Delhi.</div><div> </div><div>Jimenez said he expects the number of Indian visitors to be around 150,000 this year.</div><div> </div><div>The Philippine tourism sector suffered significant damage in the wake of typhoon Haiyan, which hit in November 2013. It destroyed Tacloban city, 650 kilometres southeast of Manila, and affected 15 million people in six regions across the country.</div><div> </div><div>Despite its impact on tourist arrivals in 2014, the country ended the year at 4.9 million visitors, a growth of about 5 percent over 2013, according to the tourism minister.</div><div> </div><div>Top source markets were South Korea, the US, Japan, China and Australia.</div><div> </div><div>The Philippine Tourism Ministry has proposed to lift entry visa requirements for Indian visitors and the government is looking at it positively.</div><div> </div><div>"There is a possibility that it will happen before the end of this quarter," Jimenez said.</div><div> </div><div>He said new tourist promotion activities in India will focus on Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.</div><div> </div><div>"We will create a success model in these cities and then we will move (to other places)," Jimenez said.</div><div> </div><div>Travel between the two countries is hampered by a lack of direct flights. The Philippine tourism minister said discussions are taking place with Indian airlines to develop air connections.</div><div> </div><div>This year the government in Manila has launched the "Visit the Philippines Year" campaign, wooing potential visitors with the tagline "It's More Fun in the Philippines."</div><div> </div><div>Manila, Boracay, Cebu, Bohol are among the Philippine destinations being promoted in the Indian market.</div>
_20240923203035_original_image_40.webp)
_20240923195307_original_image_32.webp)
