The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said that it recorded almost 50,000 arrivals during New Year's Eve. Records show that a total of 49,892 passengers arrived on December 31, 34 percent of whom were foreign nationals.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that this shows that the country is regaining its momentum as a popular holiday destination for foreign nationals.

Tansingco added that both foreign and Filipino guests attended the New Year countdown hosted by several hotels and establishments in Metro Manila.

For the month of December 2013, the Bureau processed a total of 1.6 million arriving passengers, more than their initial projection of 1.5 million.

"Better public service is our gift for the holidays," said Tansingco. "We are happy that our measures are working, and we vow to continuously improve our systems for 2024 and the years to come," he added.