THE Department of Tourism (DoT) said visitor arrivals and hotel occupancy rose during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 tournament, of which the Philippines was a co-host.
Tourism Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina C. Frasco said: “The country’s undisputed love for basketball also shone from our united support for our Gilas Team to record-breaking attendance on opening day,” she said in a statement.
She said the visitor numbers were swollen by the influx of “teams, basketball fans, families, and members of country delegations enjoying our accommodation and hospitality industries, and discovering our local destinations,” she added.
The DoT’s National Capital Region Office said that all nine FIBA official hotels posted higher occupancy rates between Aug. 25 and Sept. 12.
During the period, Conrad Manila in Pasay, Hotel101-Manila, Microtel MoA, Hilton Manila, TRYP MoA and Grand Hyatt Manila in Taguig recorded average occupancy exceeding 90%.
Meanwhile, the department’s Statistics, Economic Analysis and Information Management Division noted an increase in visitor arrivals to the Philippines from countries with FIBA participating teams for the July 1-Sept. 12 period.
“Out of the 20 countries with teams that competed in the recently concluded sporting event, almost half registered a growth rate of more than 100% in terms of visitor arrivals to the Philippines… versus the same period in 2022,” the DoT said.
Arrivals from the Dominican Republic rose 700%, while those from Latvia rose 600%. The corresponding gains were 595.85% for China, 444.58% for Lithuania, and 429.07% for Serbia. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
