Tourism

The official announcement last Jan. 15 of visa-free entry for Chinese passport holders was roundly applauded. Taking effect the next day, it was a welcome policy change, especially in view of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday which, for China, will be a nine-day break (Feb. 15 to 23). It’s certainly a time for travel for millions of Chinese, whether from cities back home to their provinces or, more and more, abroad for holiday. Hopefully, some of those who will go off on holiday will find their way to our shores.

Targeting Chinese tourists and businesspeople entering through Manila and Cebu airports (NAIA and Mactan-Cebu International) for a stay of 14 days, the move was welcomed all around.

Finance Secretary Frederick Go, addressing a recent briefing for private sector business leaders to encourage investments, cited the visa-free initiative as one of the “big, bold reforms” the government is undertaking to boost the economy, in the doldrums over corruption scandals and consequent underspending on big-ticket government infrastructure projects.

New Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan, speaking at a media party a week ago, cited this “good news” as a “positive gesture… We believe it will lead to a new wave of Chinese tourists.”

The Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. immediately issued a statement hailing the move: “This decisive and progressive reform strategically positions the Philippines alongside our major ASEAN neighbors in the vital competition for the world’s largest and most dynamic tourist market…a critical step to ensure that our beautiful archipelago becomes the chosen destination for Chinese tourists… among the world’s highest-spending tourists, with a strong willingness to pay for family travel, in-depth cultural exploration, shopping, island leisure and premium culinary experiences.”

Victor Lim, FFCCCII president, pictures the move as “not just about tourists; it is about creating sustainable livelihoods, empowering local entrepreneurs and fostering truly inclusive Philippine economic growth that reaches every corner of our islands.”

Over a week before the official announcement, chatter about visa-free entry to the Philippines for Chinese nationals made the rounds on WeChat, the vastly popular Chinese social media platform which has over a billion monthly active users. A letter bearing the letterhead of our Department of Foreign Affairs and the signature of DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and stamp dated 05 Jan 2026 was posted on WeChat and very quickly and widely shared. The interest – maybe excitement – that the premature announcement generated hopefully augurs well for expected tourist arrivals from China, especially since the “invasion” of POGO and scam hub workers and the undesirables from the mainland is a thing of the past.

Unless there is a geopolitical miracle, the West Philippine Sea issue is not going to be resolved anytime soon; that is a reality we have to accept. The water cannoning, the laser pointing, boat ramming, radio challenges and harassment of our fisherfolk will continue, and we must do everything we can within the bounds of law and a rules-based international order to document and protest such behavior and, most importantly, protect our fishers, our soldiers and our coast guards. Word wars and accusations will continue; diplomats and policy makers on both sides must work triple time to try and resolve differences, lower the decibels of incendiary rhetoric and take advantage of the Philippines’ chairmanship of ASEAN this year to raise the level of dialogue.

But, as both sides keep saying, Philippines-China relations encompass more than the West Philippine Sea. International relations are not one dimensional. Like our ASEAN and Asian neighbors which also have overlapping maritime claims with China, let us cultivate other dimensions of the relationship, especially trade. In this instance, business first – negosyo muna – might be a good mantra.

China is our largest trading partner and the largest source of our imports. It’s time to up our efforts at exports, following strides in agriculture with exports of mangoes, bananas and durian to China. Even though domestic consumer spending in China has slowed somewhat, 1.4 billion is still a huge market that we can tap.

Tourism is often cited as one of the low-hanging fruits that can quickly energize our economy and have widespread multiplier effects, especially in the provinces where most of our tourist sites are located. Tourist arrivals reached 8.26 million in 2019, pre-pandemic; in 2020 arrivals dropped to just 1.482 million and a dismal 163,879 in 2021. Recovery after the pandemic shutdown on travel was slow, with arrivals numbering 2.653 million in 2022, rising to 5.450 million in 2023, 5.949 million in 2024 and 6.484 million last year. 2024 data showed 6.75 million people were employed in the tourism industry, which generated revenues of $13.1 billion (around P760.5 billion) from foreign visitors, led by those from South Korea, the US and Japan.

Tourism as an income generator, jobs creator and nationwide development effort must go beyond slogans, beautiful photos and promotions. Tourism is a business, so accessibility, logistics and price-price-price must be rationalized and improved. The Philippine product – breathtaking natural beauty, the incomparable warmth and hospitality of our people, even our rich culture and artistry – measures up to the best the rest of the world has to offer. The tourism industry, in fact the whole of government – from infrastructure to security to bureaucracy down to the local governments – must work together to make the tourist experience safe, pleasant, hassle- and scam-free. Let’s roll out the red carpet, not just for Chinese tourists and businesspeople, but visitors of every country, and even our own citizens, as they discover and explore our 82 provinces and 7,641 islands.