The Department of Tourism (DOT) announced on Wednesday that the Philippines has achieved a significant milestone, with international visitor arrivals reaching 3 million as of July 19, 2023.
According to the latest data from the DOT, the country welcomed a total of 3,000,079 international visitors from January 1 to July 19, 2023.
Moreover, the inbound tourism receipts during the period from January 1 to June 30, 2023, have surged to P212,467,522,100.14.
This reflects a remarkable increase of 502.02% compared to the P35,292,495,457.14 tourism revenue generated during the same period last year.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco expressed her satisfaction with the accomplishment, attributing it to the robust recovery and efforts of the Marcos Administration in revitalizing Philippine tourism.
“We are glad to report that in roughly seven months, we have already achieved the 3 million international visitor arrivals mark, reflecting continued robust recovery and the gains of the Marcos Administration towards the resurgence of Philippine tourism,” said the secretary.
Frasco also emphasized the vital role tourism plays in providing employment and livelihood to millions of Filipinos.
“We are grateful for the renewed interest worldwide in the Philippines which offers a multitude of reasons to love travel across our islands. We thank as well our fellow Filipinos who continue to travel domestically, supporting our local communities and families who are all part of the tourism value chain,” the tourism chief added.
The data breakdown reveals that 91.36% (2,740,802) of international visitors are foreign tourists, while the remaining 8.64% (259,277) are overseas Filipinos.
South Korea emerged as the top contributor, accounting for almost a quarter of the total international visitors with 741,658 (24.72%).
The United States of America (USA) secured the second spot with 550,569 visitors (18.35%), followed by Australia with 146,062 (4.87%), Japan with 143,227 (4.77%), and Canada with 132,018 (4.40%).
Other significant sources of foreign arrivals include:
- China with 129,077 (4.30% percent)
- Taiwan with 104,211 (3.47%)
- United Kingdom with 85,847 (2.86%)
- Singapore with 81,656 (2.72 percent)
- Malaysia with 54,411 (1.81%)
