Osaka Castle in Osaka, Japan, one of the most popular tourist spots in Japan. | CDN Digital Photo by Morexette Marie Erram
CEBU CITY, Philippines – For travelers from the Visayas, the Land of the Rising Sun is top of mind when it comes to spending their vacations around Asia.
A survey from market research firm Standard Insights showed that Japan is the top destination in Asia among travelers in the Visayas.
In their Consumer Report Philippines 2023, around 38 percent of their respondents from the Visayas preferred Japan as their dream destination in Asia.
READ MORE: PH named as top Asean country for tourist arrivals in Japan in July
It was followed by South Korea and Singapore at second and third respectively. The Philippines and Hong Kong tied for the fourth spot, and then Thailand rounding up the top five.
The Consumer Report Philippines 2023 surveyed 1,000 Filipino respondents in November 2022 about their opinions on various topics and industries, including travel and tourism.
While the study showed that most Filipinos feel ‘totally safe’ and ‘somewhat safe’ when traveling after the COVID-19 pandemic, their concerns are onto something else.
Around 67 percent of their respondents pointed to ‘increased pricing of traveling’ as their biggest worry when traveling in 2023.
Health and safety issues, which pertain to COVID-19 protocols, came second in the research’s ‘Biggest worry about Travel in 2023’ among Filipino travelers.
Other challenges Filipino travelers cited included the need to know the rules and regulations, the volume of travelers, and connectivity to and from their destinations.
The Philippine government started easing its pandemic-related restrictions on travel in 2022, three years after the health crisis virtually stopped all leisure travel around the world.
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