The Bureau of Immigration recorded a total of 161,664 passengers arriving during the Christmas weekend nationwide and almost 81 percent of the passengers arrived via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

BI commissioner Norman Tansingco revealed that from 23 to 25 December, the agency logged a total of 130,497 passengers departing.

The BI chief said that prior to the pandemic, the BI saw an average of 55,000 daily arrivals during the month of December and even recorded an average of 47,000 departures in December 2019.

"International travel is not just on the rebound," Tansingco said. "Figures show that the number of travelers is almost surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. It's a cause for celebration for the tourism and international travel sectors."

Previously, the BI chief said that they have implemented added measures to ensure efficient processing of arriving and departing passengers during the peak season.