Tourist arrivals in the Philippines has jumped to over 4 million, breaking the 3.9 million mark made in 2017 and is projected to continue breaking targets up to the end of the year.
The latest report on foreign visitor arrivals recorded by the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed the total visitor count from January to July 2018 at 4, 308, 043 or a 9.74 percent jump from the 3,925, 626 arrivals recorded in the same period in 2017.
Data gathered by the Statistics, Economic Analysis and Information Management Division (SEAIMD) of the DOT indicates the following top sources of foreign tourist arrivals in the country:
- Korea, the country’s top source market
- China
- United States
- Japan
- Australia
Earlier reports showed another milestone for the arrival of foreign guests for the first quarter of 2018 which breached the two million mark.
DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo- Puyat credited the growth in foreign tourist arrivals to stakeholders, government partners, and the men and women of the DOT.
The Tourism chief projected exceeding the 2018 yearend target foreign tourist arrivals saying, “things are looking brighter for the tourism industry… We are optimistic that we will hit, or better yet, surpass our target of 7.4 million for 2018.”
Secretary Romulo-Puyat pointed out an upcoming comprehensive branding campaign and the scheduled reopening of a better Boracay on October 26 as expected to contribute to the brighter prospects for Philippine tourism.
“With the challenges and hurdles the industry is facing, maintaining the positive trajectory of visitor arrivals is not an easy feat, but the industry has kept itself afloat,” declared the Tourism Secretary.
The DOT statement also showed that for the month of July 2018, foreign visitor arrivals tallied at 601, 322 posting a growth rate of 5.86 percent from the 568, 035 recorded in the same period in 2017.
