Travel executives say volume for outbound Filipino Christmas merry-makers remains weak, not only because of the peso's shrinking value, but also because of the millennium celebrations.
Classic Travel House vice president for sales Mila Suarez observes that as far as outbound Filipino holiday tours are concerned, "everybody is staying put."
The concern over the new millennium has nothing to do with the computer glitch. It is just that old-fashioned family values make it difficult for a typical Filipino vacationer to leave home in this once-in-a-thousand-year event.
"They don't want to greet the new millenium outside their homes," Suarez says.
Some travel agents take the Christmas season as break, particularly if they specialise in frostbitten winter destinations.
"It's now a low season for the China market, because of the cold," says Panda Travel president Christine Tan.
During the summer months of March and April, when outbound travel is at its peak, Panda Travel sends up to four large groups per week to China, its main market. But nowadays "it's difficult to group 10 travellers in a week for China," Tan notes.
Philippine Airlines (PR) country manager for Philippine sales Enrique Javier confirms the observation.
"Only a few Filipinos travel during Christmas week," he says. "Filipinos would prefer to spend Christmas at home."
That is not always the case, however. Data shows 32,951 Filipinos travelled abroad on holiday in December 1998, roughly a third more than travelled in November 1998. December was also the most popular month for Filipinos to travel in the last six months of 1998.
According to Javier, returning Filipino contract workers and Filipinos residing abroad fly to Manila shortly before December 25. Locals often schedule their overseas trip in such a way that they return to Manila a week before December 25.
Right after Christmas, outbound traffic from Manila picks up as the Balikbayans report back to work abroad. Locals also provide added airline revenue by taking advantage of the remaining Christmas break to take a short overseas trip.
To cash in on this air traffic, PR is increasing by 14 per cent its Christmas seat offerings on major interntional routes where large Filipino communities are located. On November 5 PR increased its weekly flights to Hong Kong from 21 to 24.
In Javier's estimate, roughly 40 per cent of Filipino Christmas travellers using PR go to Hong Kong and 30 per cent fly to Singapore.