Chinese visitors to get visas on arrival in Philippines

Chinese visitors will be granted visas on arrival at the ports of entry in the Philippines. This is being implemented by the Southeast Asian country to grow its tourism and investment, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on 17 August. TTG Asia quoted the BI as saying that eligible for this scheme would be Chinese nationals who are members of tour groups that tour operators, recognised by the Tourism Department, organise; local and foreign Chambers of Commerce and other government agencies’ endorsed businessmen; and delegates and athletes to conventions and exhibitions. The visa-on-arrival facility will be available at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and eight other international airports of the country and seaports of Caticlan, Manila, Laoag, Puerto Princesa and Subic in the Philippines. Through their tour operators, Chinese tourists should apply at the BI for their landed visas for an originally sanctioned stay of one month, which can be extended for up to 180 days. Eligible for applying are people with valid passports and return tickets. They should file their applications a minimum of 10 working days before they arrive in the country. Visa fee for visitors would be $25 and a legal research fee of $0.20 would be levied on them. This latest measure may make China the largest source market of tourists for the Philippines, said the Philippines DoT (Department of Tourism). Wanda Tulfo-Teo, DOT Secretary, said that accommodating visitors with visas on arrival would help sustain the large inflow of tourists from China into their country. After China removed travel restrictions on travel to the Philippines in October 2016, the number of Chinese tourists visiting this Asian country increased to 675,663 by 2016 year-ending, a 37.7 percent increase from 490,841 in 2015. The Chinese arrivals in the first half of 2017 reached 454,962, an increase of 33.4 percent from 340,958 in 2016. If you are looking to travel to the Philippines, get in touch with Y-Axis, a prominent consultancy for immigration services, to apply for a visa.