Philippines recorded more than 5 million tourist arrivals in 2023

The country attracted about 5.4 million foreign visitors, generating over PHP480bn in revenue.

The Philippines.-  Christina Frasco, secretary of the Department of Tourism of The Philippines (DOT) has reported that the country surpassed the administration’s projection of 4.8 million international visitors in 2023, with a total of 5.4 million.

South Korea remained the primary source, accounting for 26.41 per cent of the total (1,439,336 tourists). It was followed by the United States with 903,299 tourists and Japan with 305,580. International tourism receipts reached an estimated PHP482.54bn (US$8.67bn), a 124.87 per cent increase compared to 2022 (PHP214.58bn).

In June, the DOT had reported that the country had received 2.64 million tourists in the first half of the year, more than its target for all of 2022 (1.7 million). Looking ahead, the Philippines expects 7.7 million international visitors in 2024, although this is still short of pre-Covid-19 figures.