posted by ANGELINE VALENCIA | September 13, 2009

The unprecedented growth of the country’s tourism industry since the last five years has built up the “edge” of Secretary Joseph Ace Durano in the senatorial race in 2010.

In fact, two political parties- -the Lakas-Kampi and the Nationalist People’s Coalition- -are planning to include Durano in their senatorial tickets for the 2010 race.

Records show that in 2004, there was a total of 2,291,347 tourist arrivals.

This rose to 2,623,084 in 2005 and 2,843,335 in 2006.

In 2007, arrivals soared to 3.09 million and in 2008 it rose by 1.5 percent to record 3.14 million, despite the global financial crisis.

Improved business atmosphere and more employment opportunities manifest the economic cascade from the 6.4-percent rise in foreign tourist arrivals in the country’s top 16 regional destinations during the first six months of 2009, according to the Department of Tourism.

Durano said Camarines Sur leads the pack with nine hundred two thousand two hundred two arrivals, followed by Cebu, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Bohol, Boracay in Aklan, Puerto Galera, Batangas, Davao, and Negros Oriental, among others.

Foreign arrivals in key destinations increased by six percent in the first half of the year, despite a decrease of six percent in the number of visitors to East Asia and the Pacific, Durano noted.

Durano gained the credit for the improvement of the country’s tourism industry.

The former congressman of Cebu also emerged on top in the latest senatorial survey conducted by Pulse Asia in Central Visayas, besting 24 other possible senatorial candidates that include ten incumbent and seven former senators.

In the survey conducted from July 28 to August 10, the respondents picked their choices from a list of names of personalities as to who among them they would vote in the event that they run for senator and the 2010 election is to be held today.

According to the survey, 54.6 percent of the respondents chose Durano, 48.3 percent chose Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, 43 percent prefer Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., while 42 percent go for Senator Pilar Juliana Cayetano, and 41.5 percent chose former Senator Sergio Osmeña.

Senator Manuel Roxas got 41 percent of the respondents, former Senator Ralph Recto got 39.5 percent, former Senate president Franklin Drilon- -39 percent, actor Edu Manzano- -34.1 percent, Senator Consucio Madrigal- -30.2 percent, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay- -29.8 percent and former Senator Tito Sotto III- -28.8 percent.

Durano earlier admitted having been offered a slot in the senatorial line-up of both the administration party Lakas CMD-Kampi and the Nationalist People’s Coalition in next year’s election.

But Durano said he would prefer to run under the NPC, since he had been an NPC member long before he joined the Cabinet in 2004.