Foreign tourists not heeding travel warnings, says Durano

Foreign tourists not heeding travel warnings, says Durano

NEGATIVE travel advisories on the Philippines will not affect tourist arrivals as foreigners do not follow them anyway, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said yesterday.

The United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada had advised their nationals to be "cautious" when traveling in the Philippines following the Feb. 14 bomb attacks, and to skip the south of the country altogether because of sporadic clashes between government troops and insurgents.

"Travelers nowadays are very sophisticated. They don't accept these travel advisories hook, line and sinker. They also do the research," Durano told reporters in an interview at the US Embassy.