Number of Chinese visitors to the Philippines remains low

Today marks the 16th anniversary of the Manila hostage crisis, in which a Hong Kong tour guide and 7 tourists were killed. The incident still haunt many Hong Kong people and they remain reluctant to travel to the Philippines.

The Philippines waived visa requirements for Chinese tourists earlier this year in a bid to boost the economy. But strained China-Philippines relations and continued security concerns may have kept Chinese tourists away.

Sunny beaches and spectacular underwater scenery are among the Philippines' biggest attractions. But at many tourist spots, Chinese visitors are rarely seen. Last year, Hong Kong recorded more than 30 million visitor arrivals from Chinese mainland, while the Philippines received only around 260,000.

In a bid to boost the economy, the Philippines relaxed its entry restrictions earlier this year, allowing Chinese tourists to enter visa-free for up to 2 weeks.

Simon Wong, the Honorary President of Philippine Chinese General Restaurant Association, runs restaurants in a tourist area in Manila. He has initially expected business to pick up. He says the number of Chinese tourists has indeed increased by 90 percent over the past 6 month, but the industry has yet to benefit. He says the visa-free policy has brought in more business travellers, but there aren't many tourists. He attributes this to the Philippines' negative image on the Chinese internet.

One of the factors holding back the tourism industry is the perception of poor public safety. The international media had labeled some parts of the country as "kidnapping capitals" back in the 1990s and 2000s. But a local community leader says that tourists are not the targets of kidnappers.

The founding chairperson of Movement for Restoration, Teresita Ang See, says "The news about Chinese being arrested are exaggerated, because this news happens everywhere, wherever you are. Philippines is still a very beautiful place, very safe, very friendly to tourists.

In 2010, eight Hong Kong tourists were killed and seven others injured in the Manila hostage crisis. 16 years on, the tragedy remains a painful memory for many Hong Kong people. Has the Philippines government taken concrete steps to improve the country's image?

Roberto B.Mabalot, a foreign trade service officer, says " Based on testimonies from Hong Kongers and mainland Chinese businessmen that we have assisted, they really don't find any security issues in relation to them staying here in the Philippines."

Corruption is a serious problem in the Philippines. During TVB's reporting in Manila, people claiming to be 'tourist police' tried to demand 'protection money' from us. Xu Shao Tang, a standing committee member of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Associations of the Philippines, says the government is trying hard to clean things up. Crime rates have fallen in recent years. He believes the Philippines is worth visiting.

However, armed guards are a common sight at businesses across the Philippines. Locals say as the economy weakens, more businesses are hiring guards amid concerns over armed robbery.