Tourist arrivals inch up despite lean season – Immigration
MANILA, Philippines — Tourist arrivals in the Philippines have continued to post slight increases despite the lean travel season, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Friday.
At the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said that data showed a steady uptick in passenger arrivals in recent months.
“For April last year, it was 1,337, now it is 1,358. May also increased from 1,299 to 1,309. So, this June, the number of travelers is also increasing,” Sandoval said.
She said the current period is typically considered a lean season in travel.
“We consider this to be a bit of a lean season because the long holidays are over,” she said, adding that travel demand usually slows with the onset of the rainy season.
Despite this, Sandoval said the BI expects arrivals to stabilize in the third quarter before picking up toward the end of the year.
“That’s our usual trend and we are monitoring them. So far it’s increasing,” she said.
BI data showed South Korea remained the country’s top source of foreign arrivals, followed by the United States, Canada, Japan and China.
The Department of Tourism is targeting more than 6.4 million tourist arrivals in 2026, higher than the 2025 level, as it seeks to sustain post-pandemic recovery and growth in international travel.
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