THE Cebu Association of Tour Operators (Cato) is bracing for an influx of more Chinese tourists following the warming of ties between the Philippines and China.

“We have been handling quite a number of Chinese tourists already, even before the visit of President Duterte in China. With this said, Cato is already prepared for the influx of Chinese tourists in Cebu,” said Cato president Edilberto Mendoza.

He, however, emphasized the need to train more Chinese speaking tour guides to cater to the growing demand. Other players also cited setting up of signs in Chinese.

Chinese tourists, Mendoza said, love going to the beach. They also prefer mountain adventure tours.

“Chinese tourists do not spend much as compared to Japanese or even Koreans. On the average, they probably spend around P1,000 per day, as most of them are getting packaged tours,” said Mendoza, owner of Abba Travel and Pilgrimage Services Inc.

Although, China is not their core market, the Bluewater Resort chain expects an influx of Chinese tourists come February in time for the Chinese New Year.

“We expect occupancy to spike during February in Bluewater Resorts in Maribago, Sumilon and Panglao,” said Rhyz Buac, Maribago Bluewater’s general manager.

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino reported an increase of hotel bookings from Chinese guests.

Arnel Aparis, the hotel’s marketing communications manager, attributed the increase to the renewed ties between the Philippines and China, as reflected by the successful visit of President Duterte to Beijing last month.

According to Aparis, the hotel just launched their website for Chinese tourists.

Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, on the other hand, has been receiving inquiries from China for 2017, said Manna Alcaraz, the hotel’s assistant communication manager yesterday.

For its part, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel noted a 35 percent increase in Chinese visitors this year.

Chinese arrivals in Central Visayas grew by 89.49 percent from January to July this year. The region welcomed 134,264 Chinese guests during the period compared to the 70,856 arrivals last year.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) reported that it is confident of hitting the six million international tourist arrivals target this year with the expected influx of Chinese and Japanese tourists.

Teo’s recent visits to Beijing and Tokyo saw Chinese and Japanese airlines agreeing to mount direct flights to secondary gateways, particularly Laoag, Cebu and Davao, a report said.

China is the third largest source market of Philippine tourism, with a total inbound traffic of 484,567 as of August.