Philippines mulls tourists for Thitu, bolstering S. China Sea claims

FILE PHOTO: People walk towards a parked Philippine Air Force plane in Philippine occupied Thitu Island in the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea, April 21, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File Photo

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines is considering inviting tourists to its biggest and most strategically important outpost in the South China Sea, part of efforts to assert its claim to sovereignty over some of the world's most contested islands.

Thitu island in the Spratly archipelago is in the midst of major upgrades to its dilapidated facilities, playing catch-up with China and Vietnam, which have been developing facilities on islands they either occupy or have built from scratch on top of submerged reefs.