Data from the Department of Tourism shows that foreign arrivals to the Philippines reached 3.3 million in the first eight months of 2023, approaching the government’s full-year goal of 4.8 million arrivals.
South Korea continues to be the top inbound tourist source, with over 940,000 visitor arrivals recorded in the eight months. This figure represents more than 28 percent of the country’s foreign tourists.
By source market, the United States was responsible for 17.31 percent of arrivals (632,687), followed by Japan with 5.34 percent (195,134), China with 4.77 percent (174,328), Australia with 4.61 percent (168,694), and Canada with 4.18 percent (152,797).
The DOT reported that 91.4 percent of the international arrivals, or 3,342,746 people, were foreign tourists, while the remaining 8.6 percent, or 313,287 people, were overseas Filipinos.
According to the report, the department is optimistic that this year’s inbound arrivals target will be exceeded, with the implementation of an electronic visa (e-visa) platform.
Early last week, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) unveiled the preliminary launch of the Philippine e-Visa system. The initial phase of this initiative targets Chinese tourists in Shanghai, China, with plans to expand to India in the next stage.
The eventual expansion of the e-Visa system is envisioned to cover all Philippine foreign service posts spread across China.
