Australia seeks to attract Filipino tourists

Australia is looking to tap into the Philippines' potential as a promising tourist market. According to the Australian Embassy in Manila, a growing number of high-value leisure travelers from the Philippines are considering Australia as a holiday destination. This trend is attributed to the more than 400,000 people of Filipino descent residing in Australia, which attracts their families and friends to visit.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were nearly 160,000 arrivals from the Philippines to Australia. Of these, 4% came to study, 31% for holiday vacations, and 43% visited relatives or friends. The Australian ambassador to the Philippines, HK Yu, said that the Philippine tourism market has a lot of potential for growth, especially considering the strong people-to-people ties between the two countries.

Australian Tourism and Trade Minister Don Farrell echoed the ambassador's sentiment, stating that they want to build on the connection between the two countries. Farrell emphasized the similarities between the two countries, such as both speaking English, making it easy for Filipinos to travel to Australia and vice versa.

To further strengthen ties between the two countries, Farrell met with ranking government officials, including National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, during his five-day official visit to Manila. They discussed ways to boost cooperation in the mining, tourism, and infrastructure sectors.

In line with their efforts to attract more Filipino tourists to Australia, Farrell launched Canberra's tourism campaign "Come and Say G’day" in Manila. The campaign aims to showcase Australia's vibrant cities and natural attractions, among others.

There are at least 31 direct flights per week from the Philippines to Australia, with Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and Qantas offering direct flights between Manila and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. With this convenient air connectivity and the appeal of Australia's tourist attractions, the tourism industry in both countries can benefit from the growth of tourism between the Philippines and Australia.