Passenger arrivals drop 72% – BI

MANILA, Philippines — Passenger arrivals from January to September this year dropped by 72 percent compared to the same period in 2020, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

The BI attributed the decrease in passenger arrivals to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It noted that during the first three quarters of last year, passenger arrivals totalled 3.2 million. The number, however, went down to 893,886 international travelers.

“The figures during this pandemic were a far cry from our pre-pandemic figures wherein we reached 12.6 million arrivals by the third quarter of the year,” BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said.

He explained that although the pandemic started in 2020, it was in late March that the country closed its borders and there were only 2.8 million arrivals recorded at the beginning of the year.

“Statistics show that since January the volume of arrivals in our international ports has averaged at only 90,000 to 100,000 a month, and we foresee this trend to persist until the end of this year,” he added.

He attributed the low figures to travel restrictions.

As for outbound passengers, Morente said a total of 1.1 million travelers left the country during the first three quarters, compared to the 3.6 million who departed for the same period last year.

“The bulk of these travelers were overseas Filipino workers as well as foreigners who were returning to their home countries,” he said.

However, despite the dismal figures, Morente said he is optimistic that the travel industry would bounce back soon as the country begins to relax travel restrictions following the government’s aggressive vaccination drive against the COVID-19.