Almost 5.65 million international tourists have entered the Philippines this 2024, according to Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco in her year-end report.
A total of 5,646,351 international arrivals were recorded since the beginning of the year, but it remains short of the target of 7.7 million for 2024. Of this number, 91.66% or 5,175,599 are foreign tourists, while 8.34% or 470,752 are Filipinos. live in another country.
“We continue to warmly welcome visitors from all over the world to our 7,600 islands. So far, we have reached almost 5.65 million international tourists. South Korea is still leading as the main source of our tourists, followed by the United States, Japan, and various other countries," said Frasco.
Top 10 Tourist Sources and Their Percentage of Arrivals:
- South Korea - 1,505,251 (26.66%)
- Estados Unidos - 889,489 (15.75%)
- Japan - 367,747 (6.51%)
- China - 306,549 (5.43%)
- Australia - 249,130 (4.41%)
- Canada - 210,986 (3.74%)
- Taiwan - 203,428 (3.60%)
- Singapore - 152,008 (2.69%)
- United Kingdom - 150,550 (2.67%)
- Malaysia - 93,236 (1.65%)
Leechiu Property Consultants expects the arrival of 6 million international tourists in the Philippines for 2024, below the Department of Tourism's (DOT) target of 7.7 million. According to the report, the number of Chinese tourists has fallen from 1 million in 2019 to less than 244,000 in 2024, due to delays in visa liberalization and geopolitical issues.
Despite the challenge, DOT Secretary Christina Frasco emphasizes the quality of tourism over quantity, such as longer tourist stays and higher spending per visit, which has reached $2,073 USD per tourist. The average stay of tourists has increased from 9 nights in 2019 to more than 11 nights this year.
From January to December 15, 2024, tourism generated P712 billion, surpassing 2019's revenue of P697 billion, despite lower arrival numbers. Frasco is confident that revenue will continue to rise and provide employment and support to local tourism.
