TTG Asia – LONG-STANDING political tensions were no barrier for Chinese travellers looking for sun, surf and gaming as arrivals from China to the Philippines surged a dramatic 69.9 per cent year-on-year in 2013. Travel consultants said this affirmed the Philippines’ appeal as a top beach destination. Oliver Sison, general manager at Far Eastern Travel Agency, said Chinese travellers love the beach and “primarily Boracay and (its) party atmosphere”. China was the Philippines’ fourth biggest source market according to Department of Tourism (DoT) statistics, totalling 426,352 arrivals and a 9.1 per cent total market share in 2013. DoT attributed this…

Bloomberg – Philippine billionaire Enrique Razon wants to use his Manila casino venture as a springboard to expand overseas, replicating the strategy that made his family’s port company one of Southeast Asia’s largest operators. Razon, who parlayed a Manila port franchise his family obtained in 1988 into a company with operations in 18 other countries, is interested in markets with established rules for gaming licenses, such as Macau and parts of Latin America. “We just have to build the brand,” Razon said in an interview in Manila yesterday. He expects Macau’s government will allow new entrants into the world’s largest…