The Philippines’ tourism market continues its positive momentum. In the first quarter of the year, the country received nearly 1.6 million international visitors, marking a 21.3 percent increase compared to 1Q23.
According to AGB checks based on data from the Department of Tourism (DOT), Chinese visitor arrivals to the Philippines outperformed expectations in the first quarter, surging by 150 percent year-over-year, from 43,833 to 109,568 arrivals.
In this context, China ranks 3rd among the tourists’ source markets in the Philippines, contributing approximately 6.6 percent of the total arrivals.
However, South Korean arrivals remain significantly ahead of China, maintaining their position as the primary source of inbound tourists, with almost 458,619 visitor arrivals recorded during the quarter, reflecting a 26 percent increase from 2023.
The United States retains its second-place ranking among the source markets, with 264,690 visitors recorded during this period.
The number of Japanese tourists also saw a substantial increase of 63.2 percent this year, with the country recording a total of 105,347 arrivals during the three-month period.
The DOT has set a baseline target of 7.7 million international visitor arrivals in 2024, aiming to surpass the 5.45 million international visitor arrivals recorded last year.
