MANILA, Philippines — After surpassing its conservative target of international visitors in 2023, the Department of Tourism is increasing its target number of international arrivals to 7.7 million in 2024 — the highest target it has set since the COVID-19 pandemic paused global tourism.
In a release, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said that the country is aiming to reach at least 7.7 million international visitors in 2024, which is just half a million lower than the country’s pre-pandemic arrivals of 8.2 million in 2019.
In 2023, the Philippines recorded a total of 5.45 million international visitors, higher than the projected 4.8 million it set for th e year.
South Korea remained the country’s main source of international visitors, making up 26% or over one out of four foreign arrivals. This is followed b y the United States (17%), Japan (6%) and Australia (5%).
Other foreigners who visited the country from other top source markets after China were from Canada, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Malaysia.
Lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 had put a brake in the tourism industry worldwide, and it was only in 2022 that the tourism department in the Philippines resumed setting their target number of foreign arrivals for the year.
According to the DOT, the Philippines has recovered 66% of its record number of international arrivals in 2019.
The local tourism industry is also “recovering faster than expected,” according to the DOT, which noted that international tourism receipts have “surged” at an estimated P482 billion in 2023. This is 124% higher than the previous year.
Frasco previously said that the Philippines may once again breach the 8 million mark in terms of the number of tourists by 2025. — Cristina Chi
MANILA, Philippines — Nalampasan ng gobyerno ang target nitong international tourist arrivals noong nagdaang taon, bagay na nagpapakita dium ano ng pagbawi ng sektor matapos ang COVID-19 pandemic, ayon sa Department of Tourism.
Ito ang ibinahagi ng DOT sa kanilang 2023 yearend report na kanilang ipinaskil sa Facebook ngayong Martes.
“Tourists have started to return to our shores and destinations, as the Philippines saw more than 5.4 million international arrivals surpassing our country’s set target for 2023 of 4.8 million,” paliwanag ng kagawaran.
Ang 5,450,557 international visitor arrivals ay datos mula ika-1 ng Enero hanggang ika-31 ng Disyembre ng taong nakaraan.
Kaugnay nito, nakapagtala naman ng P482.54 bilyon sa foreign visitor reciepts ang bansa noong 2023 — bagay na tumapat na sa record-hig h earnings pagdating sa pagbisita ng mga banyaga.
“The [DOT] announced that 2023 international visitor receipts have reached the tourism revenues recorded in 2019 of Php 282 million when… The Philippines reached an all time high in terms of foreign visitors arrivals,” dagdag nila.
Matatandaang isa ang turismo sa pinaka-tinamaang sektor noong kasagsagan ng COVID-19 pandemic, lalo na’t itinigil isinarado ng lockdowns ang international arrivals at karamihan ng mga establisyamento.
Isang buwan pa lang nang idiin ni House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan na hindi dapat matapos sa pag-engganyo ng mga dayuhan ang turismo lalo n a’t mas gumagastos ang mga overseas Filipino workers tuwing umuuwi ng bansa.