Visa Requirements Dictating Two-thirds of Filipino’s Travel Choices

November 18, 2013

Visa Requirements Dictating Two-thirds of Filipino’s Travel Choices

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.”

About Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a leading global travel search site offering a truly comprehensive, free flight search service as well as instant online comparisons for hotels and car hire. Founded in 2003, Skyscanner receives over 25 million unique visitors each month.Skyscanner is optimised worldwide and is available in 30 languages.

Skyscanner’s highly-rated free mobile apps are available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Windows 8 devices and have been downloaded over 25 million times.

The privately-owned company employs over 250 staff and has its global headquarters in Edinburgh with regional hubs in Singapore, Beijing, Barcelona and Miami.