Philippine tourism has never received such encouraging news after the Pearl of the Orient has seen increasing tourist arrival trends. From various reports, the Philippines are polishing up to be a hit maker in the travel industry for years to come.

A positive sign that gave an enthusiastic gush for travel industry analysts is the booming leisure travel of U.S. citizens to Asia, in which the Philippines is taking a substantial chunk of visitors. In the last two to three years, the Philippines has been the favorite tourist destination spot because of the tourist sense of looking for unique and exotic travel experiences beyond the casual sun and beach theme. The Philippines offers great value for American and European tourists compared to other destination because of favorable currency exchange rates. Tourists are just rediscovering the Philippines and their exotic food, friendly people, rich culture and tradition, and great accommodation. Various government policies also helped in promoting the Philippines as a choice travel destination for American residents.

Another inspiring news story about Philippine tourism is the reputation of Boracay as one of the top ten beaches in the world by Yahoo! and Askmen.com. As the most popular beach in the Philippines, Boracay ranked seventh in the top ten best beaches in a Yahoo! survey while it ranked eighth in a survey by AskMen.com. Boracay is the only Asian beach in a list dominated by resorts from Hawaii and California. Boracay’s beaches are known for their powdery white sand, clear waters, and exotic forests. This internet exposure will only cause positive trends for the tourism industry in the Philippines.

These two positive news stories in Philippine tourism go hand-in-hand with the ever increasing tourist receipts from around the world. In the first half of 2007, about 468,281 foreign tourists arrived in the Philippines, which is up 6% from foreign tourist arrivals for the same period of 2006.

To accommodate new and returning tourists willing to extend their stay in the country, the Philippine government has increased the length of tourist visa to two years or 24 months. This means that if a foreign tourist wishes to stay more than two months in the country for tourism activities, he can submit an extension every two months until he reaches 24 months. The government policy on tourist arrivals is indeed great news for the Philippine tourism industry and travelers alike.

One main reason for this government policy on tourism is due to the number of foreign tourist willing to extend their stay in the country. In the year 2007, the number of foreigners who have applied for extensions rose 21 percent from 2006; another sign of the growing interest of foreign travelers to the Philippines.

For Philippine residents, this should not come as shocking news as they fully know the beauty of the Philippines. With great hideaways that features, the best beaches, the richest source of marine biodiversity for tourist divers, exotic wildlife, long standing cultural and historic traditions, and corporate golfing destinations, it stand that the Philippines is deservingly catching a great tourism windfall.

Such interest in the Philippines is so vibrant that even the island of Mindanao has more problems with tourist arrivals than domestic insurgencies. In a press release, it is said that the tourists still hold great interest on Mindanao as a tourist destination because of tourist spots such as Camiguin, Zamboanga, Davao, and Palawan.

Truly, Philippine tourism is benefiting from these great news stories that will sustain the excitement of foreign travelers and the travel industry for years to come. The Philippines is slowly reinforcing its image as a land of the People Power, the nation of 7,107 islands, and a land with most hospitable people in the world. With these trends, everyone is coming and going to the Philippines with a positive feeling that will make people end up coming back for more.

Jose Maria Abada writes for Philippine-Travel-Guide.com. Check it out to learn more about the Philippine Resorts, Philippine Beaches, and Philippine News Links.