27 December 2013 - The Philippines has relaunched its tourism campaign in Jeddah and Riyadh, inviting Saudis and expatriates to visit the 7,107 islands where “its more fun in the Philippines.”

Following the recent resumption of direct flights by the Philippine Airlines from Riyadh and Dammam, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the Department of Tourism and Aviareps, its marketing arm in the Middle East, launched the Philippine tourism promotion campaign in Riyadh, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” in the evening of December 18 at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Olaya Riyadh.

The evening attended by almost two hundred guests including various travel groups, agencies and operators and their prospective clients (both locals and expatriates), the media and the Filipino community. The Assistant Secretary General of the Council of Saudi Chambers also attended the event.

During a press interview with The Filipino Channel, Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mr. Ezzedin H. Tago said, “The launching follows the recent return of operation of the Philippines flag carrier, Philippine Airlines (PAL), to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We are inviting Saudis as well as expatriates living in Saudi Arabia to consider the Philippines as their next tourism destination.  We are introducing the Philippines to travel agencies and tour operators to develop tour packages that will attract the travel from the region.”

The Philippines welcomed a total of 30,258 tourists from Saudi Arabia from January to September 2013, representing 34.7% gains.  It is targeting 7 million tourists by 2014 and 10 million in 2016.  Tourism accounts for 8% of the country’s GDP and 2.9 million jobs or 8% of the total employment.

Anyone interested in tourism destinations and activities in the Philippines may visit http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.com , http://visitmyphilippines.com, https://www.dfa.gov.ph/dfatip/ .  Saudis, GCC nationals and many nationalities do not needs visas to visit the Philippines for visits that are less than 30 days. END