DoT: 2 months log 1.2-M tourists

DoT: 2 months log 1.2-M tourists | Daily Tribune

Foreign tourists hit more than a million as of March, giving the Department of Tourism, raising its confidence of hitting the 7.7 million target by the end of this year.

Speaking at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse 2024 Convention in Berlin, Germany, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco reported that in the year to 5 March 2024, international tourist arrivals were 1,227,815.

Foreign nationals visiting the country took the lion’s share, with 1,160,129 or 94.49 percent.

Meanwhile, 67,686 visitors, or 5.51 percent, consisted of overseas Filipinos.

According to Frasco, this is 22.86 percent higher than the 999,390 arrivals received by the country in the same period in 2023.

South Korea remains the top source of visitors with 349,956 or 28.5 percent of the total, followed by the United States of America with 195,603 or 15.93 percent, China with 85,876 (6.99 percent), Japan with 73,159 (5.96 percent), and Canada, fifth with 50,555 (4.12 percent).

$652-M receipts from visitors

Meanwhile, Australia took the sixth spot with 50,488 (4.11 percent), Taiwan with 42,955 (3.50 percent), the United Kingdom with 30,507 (2.48 percent), Singapore with 25,253 (2.06 percent), and Germany with 20,816 (1.70 percent).

Based on data from the Visitor Sample Survey, estimated visitor receipts for January 2024 totaled $652.26 million, or 4.84 percent higher than the $622.14 million recorded in January 2023.

In 2023, the country recorded over 5.45 million visitor arrivals, exceeding the 4.8 million arrivals target set by the industry.

“The figures were a robust indication of the future of Philippine tourism. Cheers to all the reasons to celebrate and Love the Philippines,” Frasco said.

The tourism chief is in Germany to lead the DoT and the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines in bringing the country’s biggest delegation yet to the ITB 2024, the world’s largest travel trade show.

The country has close to 60 delegates composed of co-exhibitors from the public and private sector and was led by Frasco and TPB Philippines chief operating officer Margarita Nograles, including representatives from hotel and resort enterprises, destination management companies, travel and tour agencies, government agencies such as the Philippine Retirement Authority and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, as well as the local government units of Bohol, Camiguin, Siquijor, and Sipalay, Negros Occidental.

The Philippine pavilion, designed with local elements from mother of pearl to bamboo print weaves, hosted business-to-business meetings of the participating sellers from 28 private companies and booth visitors from different regions of the world, ensuring that the presence of the Philippines is sustained for its various important international visitor source markets.