DOT lures more Koreans for ESL training in PH

FILE: Philippine Study Abroad fair has consistently encouraged Korean students to take ESL in the Philippines. (PNA photo)

MANILA— The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Friday said it plans to attract more Koreans to come to the Philippines by taking advantage of the growing demand for English as a Second-Language (ESL) training in the country.

“With a booming tourism and improving economy, it is no surprise that the Philippines has become one of the choice destinations of foreigners for high quality and affordable education, as well as for fun vacations,” Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said in a statement.

Teo said that it is encouraging to see that more and more Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese, among other foreign students, consider the Philippines over other English-speaking nations for their studies.

She made this remark shortly after the DOT Korea Office recently hosted over a hundred Korean students and parents at the Philippine Study Abroad Fair at the Samsung Textile Center in Seoul.

Organized for the ninth time, Teo said that this year’s edition featured 15 of the leading ESL institutions in Cebu, Baguio, and Iloilo to talk about their programs and admission process for Korean students and parents.

Philippine Study Abroad fair has consistently encouraged Korean students to take ESL in the Philippines.

Teo, meanwhile, expressed hope that the fair would also help keep the country’s best teachers closer to their families and friends.

South Korea makes up almost one-fourth of the country’s total visitor arrivals at 24.72 percent with a total of 1.475 million visitors in 2016.

For the first half of this year, South Korea has sustained its spot as the country’s top source for inbound traffic, with 795,085 arrivals or 23.68 percent of the total market share.