Visitor arrivals in the Philippines in the first six months of 2024 rose 12 percent year-on-year to 3.03 million, with double-digit increases in tourist numbers from North Asia providing the main boost to the country’s tourism industry.
Data reported by the Department of Tourism showed the number of foreign tourists that arrived in the country between January and June this year totaled 2.81 million, up 13 percent year-on-year, while the total of overseas Filipinos that arrived during the period declined 4.9 percent on-year to 220,026.
South Koreans accounted for nearly three in every 10 foreign visitors in the first half. Total visitors from South Korea rose 17 percent to 792,482 in the January-June semester.
China was the third largest market for Philippine tourism during the period, just behind the U.S. Total visitors from China reached 191,222, up 76 percent despite growing tensions between the two countries over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea.
U.S. visitors total 493,900 in the first half, flat from last year.
Tourists from Japan surged 41 percent to 181,844 while those from Taiwan were up 28 percent to 114,952.
DOT is aiming to welcome 7.7 million foreign visitors this year, moving closer to the record 8.26 million international arrivals in 2019. Philippine tourism has yet to recover from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tourism jobs rose 6.4 percent in 2023 to 6.21 million, around 13 percent of total employment in the country. The sector generated P482.54 billion in revenue last year, around 8.6 percent of the gross domestic product.
