Cebu tourism down by 10.7%

CEBU, Philippines — Tourist arrivals in Cebu Province fell by more than 100,000 during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, although provincial tourism officials remain optimistic the industry will recover before year-end.

Data from the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) showed Cebu Province recorded 836,595 tourist arrivals from January to June 2026, down 10.71 percent from the 936,939 visitors logged during the same period in 2025.

The latest figures represent a year-on-year decline of 100,344 visitors, higher than the previously reported deficit of 97,831 arrivals reflected in the office's July 23 monitoring report.

Despite the decline, Provincial Tourism Officer Rowena Montecillo said the provincial government remains confident tourism will rebound in the second half of the year, citing improving international arrivals and the expected influx of domestic travelers during the peak tourism season.

"Although both domestic and foreign arrivals remain negative compared with the same period last year, the foreign numbers have somehow increased a little from last week's report," Montecillo said during an interview Friday.

"We are not so worried about domestic because we always depend on domestic tourists. They come during the peak season," she added.

Domestic tourists accounted for the bulk of arrivals at 653,016 but also posted the steepest decline, falling 12.29 percent from the 744,523 visitors recorded during the first six months of 2025.

Foreign arrivals also remained below last year's level at 183,533, down 4.61 percent from 192,397 during the same period in 2025.

However, the international market showed signs of improvement as the decline narrowed from the previous reporting period, when foreign arrivals were down by 5.15 percent.

Montecillo attributed the improving trend to sustained efforts to enhance Cebu Province's tourism destinations while the office continues to evaluate emerging markets that have posted significant growth.

"We are doing all our best to really prepare the destination, the products," she said.

She noted that while several countries posted triple-digit growth rates, the increases were partly due to relatively low visitor bases in the previous year.

"We are studying the markets, especially for those that have significant increase because we would want to know how to prepare the products and the destination for them," said Montecillo.

South Korea remained Cebu Province's largest foreign source market with 45,083 visitors, followed by Japan with 19,540, the United States with 18,408, China with 13,080 and Taiwan with 9,203.

Other major foreign markets were Germany, Australia, France, Canada and the United Kingdom. Russia, Italy, Malaysia, Spain, India, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Singapore also posted positive year-on-year growth.

Among the major source markets, China posted one of the strongest rebounds with a 156.62-percent increase, while the United Kingdom registered a 208.37-percent growth. Canada also recorded a 177.67-percent increase, reflecting renewed interest from several long-haul markets.

In terms of actual visitor gains, China recorded the largest increase with 4,843 more tourists than last year, followed by Russia with 1,722 additional visitors, the United Kingdom with 984, France with 700 and Denmark with 371.

Montecillo said tourism stakeholders have also observed growing interest in destinations outside Cebu City, with more travelers exploring municipalities across the province for a more immersive tourism experience.

"According to their meetings with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and HRAC, it's actually in the towns, in the province, that's the interest for now," she said.

"When you go to the province, you can experience everything already. You go to the beach, there are different activities, you can have food, you can experience the local culture, talk to the people and even join festivals. Everything is already packaged," she added.

The provincial government continues to promote pilgrimage tours as its flagship product for domestic travelers, while beaches and outdoor adventure activities remain the primary draw for foreign tourists, according to Montecillo.

Among Cebu Province's destinations, Cordova recorded the highest number of visitor arrivals with 114,868, followed by Oslob with 42,951, Moalboal with 39,199, Bantayan with 38,434 and Daanbantayan with 14,552.

Montecillo said the January-to-June figures remain preliminary as several municipalities have yet to complete and submit their tourism reports.

She appealed to local government units with pending submissions to finalize their data so the province can present a more complete picture of Cebu Province's tourism performance during the first half of the year, (CEBU NEWS)