Commissioner Norman Tansingco of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) stated on Sunday afternoon that he believes that international travel and tourism have recovered from the pandemic.
The BI chief shared that from January to December 2023, the Bureau recorded 12.6 million arrivals in total. The number is more than two times the 6.1 million arrivals that were recorded in 2022.
Topping the list of foreign arrivals are South Koreans with 1,186,135 travelers, followed by Americans with 1,186,135 million arrivals, and the Chinese with 417,128 travelers.
Also on the top arrivals list are the Japanese, with 358,534 arrivals, followed by Australians with 302,177 inbound travelers.
Other nationalities that topped the list are Canadians, Taiwanese, British, Indians, and Malaysians.
The BI said that December had the highest number of arrivals, with 1.36 million travelers flocking to the Philippines. This figure nearly matches the 1.7 million arrivals in December 2019 before the pandemic.
"The figures we are seeing are a good sign. It shows that revenge travel is real and that international travel and tourism have regained their momentum after the worldwide lockdowns," he stated.
Tansingco said that they project the numbers to be higher in 2024 and expect around 15 million arrivals for the year.
