A survey conducted by Skyscanner, a leading global travel search site, reveals that the logistics of securing visas are having a huge effect on the holiday destination choices made by Filipinos.
Currently, Philippine passport holders can only visit 25 countries without a visa. These countries include neighboring Southeast Asian countries and some Latin America destinations such as Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Costa Rica.
According to the survey, 73% of the 1000 Filipino respondents consider visa issues before choosing their holiday destination. Only 26% of the respondents have been to two or more destinations that required a visa. When the respondents were asked to rank their top destinations are if visas were no option, they ranked America on top of the list followed by Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia.
“Right now, ASEAN passengers can just hop on and off a plane within the region without the hassle of planning months before to meet visa requirements,” Janet Ranola, Philippine Marketing Manager for Skyscanner. “There have been a lot of Filipinos traveling within the ASEAN region in the past few years because of the increased number of flights within the region offered by budget airlines and the convenience of the no-visa travel agreement in the region.”
89% of the respondents support a single visa system across ASEAN countries to ease travel across the region. “19% of our Filipino respondents have had their visa applications rejected. With a single visa system across ASEAN countries, non-ASEAN nationals are able to travel around the region without the need to obtain a visa for each country,” Ranola added. “This would definitely boost tourism within the region.”
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