In the initial three months of this year, the number of tourists visiting the Philippines decreased by 0.51%, totaling approximately 1.65 million people. Notably, major source countries like South Korea and China saw substantial drops in visitor numbers.
According to statistics provided by the Department of Tourism, South Korea was still the top country of origin for incoming tourists during this period, recording 395,059 visits—a decrease of 13.9% compared to the previous year. This was followed by the United States with 285,597 visitors and Japan with 125,083 travelers.
The number of arrivals from China saw a significant drop, plummeting by 33.7% to reach 72,665, which positioned it as the sixth-biggest visitor-sending country.
In addition to various crucial markets, visitor numbers from Japan, Australia, Canada, and Singapore experienced year-over-year increases.
The Philippines has been named “Asia’s leading beach destination” at the 2024 World Travel Awards and aims for 8.4 million international visitors this year, marking an increase of over 55% compared to the previous year’s total of 5.4 million arrivals.
