Philippines logs over 3 million tourist arrivals in first half of 2024

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism on Thursday reported that the international visitor arrivals of the country reached over three million in the first half of the year.

As of July 10, the DOT said that the country has welcomed 3,173,694 inbound tourists. Of which, 2,937,293 or 92.55% are foreigners while 236,401 or 7.45% are overseas Filipinos.

This was also reported by Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco on Thursday during the opening of the MICECON 2024 or the Philippine meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) conference held in Clark, Pampanga.

The tourism department said that South Korea remains the top source market with 824,798 South Korean visitors entering the Philippines or 25.99% of the international tourist arrivals.

It is followed by the United States of America, delivering 522,667 (16.74%). China comes third with 199,939 visitors (6.30%), followed by Japan with 188,805 tourists (5.95%), and Australia with 137,391 visitors (4.33%). 

Rounding up the sixth to tenth top source of foreign arrivals are Taiwan, Canada, the United Kingdom and Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore and Malaysia.

Frasco said that the Philippines is anticipating the tourist arrival numbers to increase along with the revenue generated and the number of Filipinos employed in tourism-related industry.

This year, the country has a baseline target of 7.7 million arrivals.

“Many projects aimed at improving the country's connectivity and enhancing our visitors' convenience are also in the pipeline to sustain the good work we have started," Frasco said in a statement.

Meanwhile, based on the DOT’s statistical monitoring reports, tourism earnings from international visitors are estimated at P282.17 billion from January 1 to June 30, 2024 or 32.81% higher than the P212.47 billion visitor receipts recorded in the same period last year.

For the DOT chief, the increase in tourism earnings in the first semester of 2024 is a testament to the “relentless efforts” of the current administration in revitalizing the tourism sector.

“This 32.81 percent rise from last year's figures not only showcases the growing appeal of the Philippines as a premier travel destination but also underscores the tangible benefits that tourism brings to our economy and our people,” Frasco said.

“The income generated through tourism directly translates to more opportunities and improved livelihoods for Filipinos, reinforcing the critical role this industry plays in our nation's progress," she added.

Positive outlook for Philippine tourism, travel industry

The DOT secretary is also optimistic about the continued growth of the tourism industry, citing the 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR) of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which forecasts a “record-breaking” year for the Philippines’ travel and tourism industry in terms of economic contribution, employment and visitor spending. 

It projects that the tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy is expected to reach P5.4 trillion this year or around 25% year-on-year-growth.

The global private sector group also forecasts the employment in tourism to exceed 9.5 million jobs or 20% the national workforce.

The DOT said that the WTTC also projects the international and domestic visitor spending to break records in 2024, with revenues pegged at P715.6 billion and P3.7 trillion, respectively, surpassing 2019 achievements by 5.7% and 1.8%, respectively.

According to the important global private sector group, the tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy is expected to reach P5.4 trillion this year, or around 25% year-on-year growth, surpassing the record-breaking achievement in 2019 by 7.1 percent. 

Employment in tourism is also projected to surpass 9.5 million jobs, translating to 20% of the national workforce. 

The WTTC also forecasts that both international and domestic visitor spending is also set to break records this year, pegged at P715.6 billion and P3.7 trillion, respectively, exceeding 2019 levels by 5.7% and 1.8%, respectively.

“This growth is testament to the government’s efforts in enhancing tourism infrastructure, with efforts underway to upgrade regional airports to alleviate congestion at Manila's main airport and make travel more accessible,” the WTTC said in its report.

During the MICE Conference, Frasco said that amid all the gains of the industry, “the most significant measure lies in the livelihood that we (tourism industry) provides. “

Industry growth

Last month, the Philippine Tourism Satellite Account of the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the tourism industry recorded 6.21 million employment in 2023, a 6.4% increase from the 5.84 million in 2022.

The tourism employment growth almost reached the country’s 6.3 million target employment in tourism for 2028 or four years ahead. This target was cited on the approved National Tourism Development Plan 2023-2028.

Similarly, the PTSA reported that the tourism industry contributed 8.6% to the country’s gross domestic product, the highest growth, according to DOT.

The DOT said this cements the tourism industry’s vital role as a pillar of growth and economic recovery post-pandemic.

“The tourism growth rate being the highest ever recorded for the Philippines is a testament to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr,’s strong emphasis on prioritizing the tourism sector, and with the consolidated efforts of the Department of Tourism, other government agencies and the private sector, our transformative agenda for tourism has set the industry on this upward trajectory whose benefits are felt by millions of Filipinos,” Frasco said last month.

“Having adopted the National Tourism Development Plan 2023-2028 that strengthens the foundation for tourism on infrastructure and connectivity, and expands government intervention in terms of the development of products, markets, and destinations, it is heartening to see that our efforts to equalize tourism development, engage in shared tourism governance, and diversify our tourism offerings have created more job opportunities and contributed greatly to our economy,” she added.