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Philippines feels force of China travel warning

23 Oct 2014 05:49:03

bbc.com

The beaches and restaurants of Boracay Island are usually bustling with tourists from around the world.


But this year, they are quieter than usual. A travel advisory issued by Beijing has caused a sharp fall in arrivals from China.


"We are worried and we are affected," said Dionisio Salme, president of the Boracay Foundation Inc., the island's resorts' association.


Since the warning was issued on 12 September, Boracay has seen a steep drop in Chinese visitors. Numbers fell from 18,479 in August to less than 7,000 in September.


This trend continued into China's week-long public holiday in the first week of October, normally one of the peak travel seasons for Chinese tour groups.


According to Mr Salme, while bars and clubs on Boracay's main beach are still crowded with Filipinos and tourists from other countries, the large resorts which take in busloads of Chinese tourists are nearly empty.


Read full story: bbc.com

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