SEA TRAVEL POPULARITY RISES
Manila, Dec. 10, 1997 - "Convenience, comfort and shorter travel time offered by modern vessels plying the coastwise routes make inter-island sea travellers grow in number," said the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) as it reported a 6.27% increase in passenger traffic for the first 10 months of this year.
The PPA said ports registered growth this year despite the regional currency turmoil in the second half of the year.
In a preliminary report, the PPA pointed out that indicators related to port performance were higher than year-ago levels. These figures include volume of foreign and domestic cargo, passenger traffic and number of ship calls.
According to PPA analysts, the bullish activity from January to June made up for the slowdown beginning in July. Thus, total cargo traffic managed a 5% growth rate despite a slowdown in the manufacturing and production sectors due to the unstable foreign exchange.
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