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South Koreans top foreign tourists in PH as 2023 target breached

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ABS-CBN News

MANILA - The Philippines has already exceeded its full-year target for international tourist arrivals, the Department of Tourism said on Tuesday. Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the country had already booked 4,822,530 million visitors as of November 27, which was above the 4.8 million target for the whole of 2023. Frasco said foreign tourists made up 91.9 percent of the arrivals, with the remaining 8.1 percent returning overseas Filipinos. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/10/06/23/3-ph-destinations-land-spots-in-conde-nasts-asias-best-list">Boracay, Palawan, Siargao among Conde Nast&#x27;s best destinations in Asia</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/specials/next-boracay">The Philippines&#x27; next best tourist spots</a></li></ul>“South Korea remains the country’s top source market for foreign arrivals which brought in 1,271,602 tourists or 26.37 percent of the total,” the DOT said. Visitors from the United States of America came in second with 797,181; Japan followed with 272,735; China with 242,107; and Australia with 225,464.The DOT credits the rise in arrivals to the liberalization of visa policies, the building of tourist rest areas, and several other new initiatives. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/09/07/23/ph-is-asias-leading-dive-destination-for-5th-year">PH is Asia&#x27;s leading dive destination for 5th straight year</a></li></ul>“This cements our position as one of the strongest pillars of the Philippine economy that employs no less than 5.35 million Filipinos in the tourism industry sector, ensuring jobs, livelihood, and the well-being of communities all over the country,” Frasco added. <div>GOLF TOURISM</div>The DOT also launched its campaign to promote the Philippines as a destination for golfers. “Today marks the Philippines&#x27; long overdue foray into the multi-billion golf tourism industry that will no doubt have an enormous impact on the Philippine economy. And it&#x27;s about time that the government and the private sector come together to converge and to collaborate,” she said. The DOT said the Philippines has over 100 golf courses spread across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The country also has one of the oldest gold courses in Asia, namely the Santa Barbara course in Iloilo, which was built in 1907, the DOT said.

The Philippines has already breached its 2023 target for international tourist arrivals, with South Koreans taking the top spot in the number of visitors to the country.