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The Department of Tourism (DOT) is set to mount an aggressive marketing campaign in China once it unveils its new office in the economic behemoth on July 21 in the hopes of grabbing a larger chunk of that country's outbound tourist market for the Philippines, in the face of stiff competition from more prominent Asian destinations like Thailand and Malaysia.

Rising incomes in China, fueled by the communist state's stunning economic growth the past few years have made Chinese one of the largest travelers in the world, especially in Asia. Current estimates place the China's outbound tourist population at 20 million, but the World Tourism

Organization expects this number to grow by almost fivefold over the next 16 years to 130 million in 2020.

The Philippines barely gets Chinese travelers on its shores, however. Last year, it only attracted 32,039 of these tourists, most of whom traveled to Laoag, Ilocos Norte, a big draw for Chinese gambling junkets and golfers, Batangas, Subic Bay and Cebu, which are famous for their beaches and ecotourism, and Tagaytay City, a popular golf and countryside retreat.

Now that Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan has taken over the DOT portfolio from now-Sen. Richard Gordon, the former Unilever marketing executive is bent on improving the Philippines' profile as an attractive tourist destination more aggressively. This year, the tourism department plans to come into China in a big way and hopes of at least doubling last year's take on Chinese tourists.

"China's fast-growing outbound tourist market presents a great deal of opportunity. It is therefore of utmost importance that we maintain a strong market presence there if we want to lure a portion of those tourists here," Pagdanganan stressed.

A central part to Pagdanganan's China strategy involves forging closer ties and cooperation between Filipino and Chinese travel agencies and tour operators. 117 of the Philippines's leading tour operators and travel agents, and representatives from hotels and resorts are set to join Pagdanganan, and Chinese travel agents, local officials, and media at the Beijing opening.

A sweetener being offered to China's travel industry is a five-day/four-night tour package to Manila, Tagaytay, and Puerto Galera priced at RMB 3500 or about $426 to mark the occasion. The DOT's Tourism Attache to China Jazmin Esguerra cited the package is RMB 1000 cheaper than what is usually offered and already includes airfare, hotel accommodations and breakfast, sightseeing tours, land transfers, and the services of a professional Mandarin-speaking guide.

Beijing, Shanghai, and Guandong are priorities for the DOT since these cities have generated the highest number of China's outbound tourists, thanks to their stable and fast-growing local economies, rising personal and disposable incomes, and increasing urbanization. Besides the phenomenal growth of China's gross national income, which ranks sixth in the world, the country's travel market has been boosted by simpler passport application procedures, and higher air capacity due to infrastructure improvements. Another possible boost is a likely lifting of air travel restrictions there by next year.

But in Pagdanganan's mind, the time to act is now. Back in 1993, the Philiippines was one of only a handful of overseas destinations the Chinese government allowed its citizens to travel to. Since then, the list has ballooned to 29 destinations last year, including 12 European countries. "It is only logical that we formally open our doors to Chinese nationals if we are to become truly competitive in this highly-contested market," he said.