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Tourists flock to Daku Island in Siargao Island, Surigao Del Norte on October 24, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Siargao Island

Pia Gutierrez

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><p>MANILA -- The Philippine tourism industry saw all-time high visitor revenues from international tourists in 2024 at P760 billion, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Friday.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/1/2/philippines-books-p712-billion-in-tourism-receipts-1222" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Philippines books P712 billion in tourism receipts</a></div><p>In a televised briefing, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said this is an an over 9 percent increase from 2023 visitor revenues, and a 126 percent recovery from the P600 billion visitor receipts in 2019.</p><p>&quot;Yung P760 billion from international visitor receipts shows that economically our recovery in Philippine tourism performance has already exceeded our pre-pandemic performance,” Frasco said.</p><p>“Nakikita natin na in comparison with our ASEAN neighbors, yung tourism spend per capita by our international visitors is over $2,000, which ranks us very high in terms of spending,&quot; she added.</p><p>The tourism chief meanwhile noted that data from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Labor Force Survey showed that the tourism sector directly and indirectly employed over 16.4 million Filipinos during the 1st quarter of 2024.</p><p>The increase in revenues from international tourists comes despite a significant drop in the DOT’s budget for tourism promotions in 2024. It was only at P200 million, down from the P1.2 billion in 2023. </p><p>Frasco said that the allocation was further decreased in 2025, with Congress reducing the budget for tourism promotions to P100 million from the agency’s originally proposed budget of P500 million.</p><p>The tourism chief also noted that there was a significant drop in the number of Chinese tourists that visited the Philippines in 2024, which the DOT attributed mainly to the government’s suspension of e-visas for Chinese nationals in 2023.  </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2024/11/29/bohol-tourism-back-to-pre-pandemic-levels-but-other-areas-struggling-1249" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bohol tourism back to pre-pandemic levels, but areas struggling: hotel owner</a></div><p>“Nobody could have anticipated that geopolitics would ultimately seep into arrivals from China considering that the electronic visas for the Chinese market were suspended,&quot; Frasco said.</p><p>&quot;And this is in stark contrast to the policies of our ASEAN neighbors kung saan, either hindi na kailangan ng visa from China, Chinese visitors or puwede iyong visas on arrival,&quot; she added.</p><p>&quot;So, napakalaking challenge nito kasi originally iyong prinoject [project] namin ay upwards to two million iyong dadating na Chinese tourists, iyong dumating lang by the end of 2024 was a little over 300,000.&quot;</p><p>Frasco said this has hurt the Philippines&#x27; ability to reach its target projections.</p><p>The Philippines was eyeing to bring in <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/18/tourism-dept-confident-about-hitting-2024-target-of-7-7-million-foreign-tourist-arrivals-2219">7.7 million foreign tourists</a> in 2024.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/2/27/ph-urged-to-look-beyond-china-for-tourism-boost-1843" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gov’t must look at other markets beyond China to boost PH tourism: think tank</a></div><p>The official refused to comment whether the government’s POGO ban has also affected Chinese arrivals in the country.</p><p>“I can only speak to the raw data that has been provided to us on the basis of the arrivals themselves and without drawing conclusions,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;The clear difference between the Chinese arrivals in the pandemic, which exceeded 1 million and the Chinese arrivals as of 2024 which is a little over 300,000, would show that the barriers to entering to the Philippines, including and chiefly, the suspension of the electronic visas, gravely affected the Chinese market in the Philippines,” she explained.</p><p>With the decline in Chinese tourists, Frasco says international visitors from South Korea, United States, and Japan comprised the biggest market for the Philippine tourism sector in 2024.</p><p>“South Korea continues to be our number [one] source market and so we are doubling down on our efforts to ensure na madadagdagan pa yung mga tourists natin from South Korea,” the Secretary said.</p><p>“Kasama na rin dyan, yung mga tourists natin from the United States especially with the new direct flights that have been mounted from the US. That includes San Francisco to Manila, Seattle to Manila, and the like,” she continued.</p><p>“Kasali din dyan ang Japan, dahil napaka-encouraging ng tourism statistics from Japan coming into the country, at napakadami ng ating mga tourism products that are attractive specifically to the Japanese market.”</p><p>The DOT, meanwhile, reported an increase in Australian tourists in the Philippines in 2024. Frasco says the Philippines is also looking into capturing a significant portion of the Indian tourist market, following a directive by President Marcos Jr to explore an electronic visa option for Indian nationals coming to the country.</p><p>“Syempre ang tinitignan natin na large opportunity for the Philippines is India. We are grateful that the President has directed that an electronic visa or electronic travel option for Indians may be explored, and we are hopeful that the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration can mount that for this year,” she said.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vu7wy_eYIjE?&amp;ab_channel=ABS-CBNNewsautoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Philippine tourism industry saw all-time high visitor revenues from international tourists in 2024 at P760 billion.</p>

The Philippine tourism industry saw all-time high visitor revenues from international tourists in 2024 at P760 billion.

Philippines sees all-time high international tourist revenues

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Philippines sees all-time high international tourist revenues

Pia Gutierrez,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 10, 2025 05:43 PM PHT

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Updated January 10, 2025 05:57 PM PHT

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