THE Philippines mounted a warm welcome reception for arriving Chinese tourists on January 24 in celebration of the Chinese New Year and the continuous influx of Chinese visitors, following the easing of outbound travel restrictions of China.

Department of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco personally welcomed the batch of visitors arriving onboard Xiamen Airlines flight MF819, together with China's Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian, and Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Cesar Chiong, Xiamen Air General Manager of Manila Office Yan Tan, in time for the celebration of the The party made sure the guests, about 190 passengers who arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 at 4:55 p.m., were greeted with the world-renowned Filipino hospitality.

The visitors were presented with leis and gifts from the DoT, MIAA, the Embassy of China in the Philippines, and a Filipino-Chinese private stakeholders organization.

The welcome ceremony was made even more colorful and lively by Filipino bamboo orchestra musicians.

'The arrival of Chinese tourists to the Philippines signals a very auspicious start to the New Year and indicates a positive result of President Bongbong Marcos Jr.'s state visit to China to further the relations between our countries,' Frasco said.