MANILA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines might see an increase in tourist arrivals this year as the political turmoil in neighboring Thailand is driving travelers away, an official of Philippines' Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said on Wednesday.

"There has really been a decline in tourist arrivals to Bangkok. In fact, hotels there have closed down temporarily due to occupancy rates as low as 15 percent. The possible effect of that is the spillover of tourists which will benefit the Philippines and some other regional destinations," CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla said.

Bangkok has recently become the battleground between the Thai government and anti-government demonstrators leaving more than 80 people dead and hundreds injured.

"Thailand usually has an ability to bounce back from situations like this," Arcilla said, noting that Bangkok has the necessary infrastructures in place to attract the tourists back once the tension died down.

The Philippines last year fell short of achieving its target of attracting 5 million tourists, who opted to go to countries like Singapore which Arcilla said is "very aggressive in becoming a tourism hub in the region."