Philippine visitor numbers fall slightly in first four months of the year

The figure was down 0.95 per cent in year-on-year terms.

The Philippines.- The Department of Tourism (DOT) has reported that the Philippines received 2.10 million visitors in the first four months of the year. That’s a decrease of 0.95 per cent when compared to the same period last year, which was attributed to drops in arrivals from South Korea, China and Taiwan. 

South Korea remained the biggest source market with 468,337 arrivals. However, the figure was down 18 per cent when compared to last year. The United States was the second-biggest source market with 360,799 arrivals, up 9 per cent.

Japan ranked third, providing 156,532 arrivals. The figure was up 18 per cent year-on-year. There were 111,113 arrivals from Australia, up 19 per cent, and 99,152 from Canada, up 16 per cent.

There were 92,659 arrivals from China, down 34 per cent, and 59,593 from Taiwan, a drop of 11 per cent.

In April, the country received 450,493 tourist arrivals, down 1.97 per cent in year-on-year terms.

In 2024, the Philippines received 5.44 million tourist arrivals. That’s an increase of 8.7 per cent from 2023. Some 91.4 per cent of arrivals were foreign tourists, including Filipinos residing overseas.

Analysts at Maybank Securities have forecast that tourism in the Philippines could fully recover to 2019 pre-pandemic levels this year. Analyst Ronalyn Joyce Lalimo said ongoing infrastructure improvements, including airport upgrades, could also help boost tourism from markets like South Korea, the United States, Japan, and Australia, which have strong historical and cultural connections with the Philippines.

Maybank highlighted e-visa services for Chinese and Indian visitors. Meanwhile, 43 projects underway under the Build Better More programme include five airport upgrades, including Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the New Manila International Airport. These will enhance capacity, with the new NAIA expected to handle 62 million passengers annually, up from 35 million.

Meanwhile, a new value-added tax (VAT) refund programme for foreign visitors, allowing refunds on purchases over PHP3,000 at approved stores, could increase tourist spending.

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