Foreign tourist arrival in Bacolod City has increased by 122 percent in 2007 compared to 2006, while Overseas Filipino Workers arrival increased by 86 percent covering the same period, records from the Bacolod City Tourism Office showed.

Records showed that foreign tourist arrival in 2007 was 46,354 compared to 20,922 in 2006, while OFW arrival in 2007 was 14,128 compared to 7,612 in 2006.

Domestic tourist arrival also increased from 242,832 in 2007 compared to 224,728 in 2006, or an increase of eight percent, records also showed.

Total tourist arrival in Bacolod City last year is up by 20 percent, registering 303,314 visitors as against 253,262 in 2006.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday said the total 20 percent increase is higher by 12 percent over that of the national tourist arrival which is only eight percent, as reported on television and the national papers by the Department of Tourism. It is the highest increase so far in tourist arrival registered in Bacolod, he said.

City Tourism Officer Imogene Kanaan said the increase in tourist arrivals can be credited to the call centers operating in the city.  They have also observed that there are foreigners who come here to meet their “cybermates” and expats who like Bacolod and invite their friends or relatives to visit the city, she said.

The 2007 total visitors’ arrival means a tourism gross receipts of P985,425,430 which is arrived at by multiplying the total number of tourists by the Average Daily Expense of a tourist, pegged at P2,995 which is a result of a survey done by the Asian Institute of Tourism on Western Visayas on the standard spending of a tourist.

Kanaan said the Koreans top the five foreign tourist arrivals, flowed by Americans, Japanese, Canadians and Germans. This is the first time the Koreans topped the list of tourist arrivals, she said, adding that before it used to be the Americans.

Based on the category of accommodation establishments, the top grosser in tourist arrival for 2007 is L’Fisher Hotel for first class hotels, Sugarland for standard hotels, Pension Bacolod for pensions, Bacolod Pension Plaza for tourist inns and Palmas Del Mar for resorts, she said.

Kanaan said they have also observed that since 2005 there has been a steady increase of investment in tourism especially in accommodation facilities – construction of new hotels/pensions and renovation of existing ones, with an average of four new structures a year.

Another four new accommodation establishments are set to open in the city this year, she said.*CGS

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