DOT Surpasses Tourism Target with over 2 million Travelers to the Philippines

Since the Philippines loosened border restrictions in February of last year, at least two million visitors have arrived, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

According to a statement released by DOT Secretary Christina Frasco on Tuesday, November 15th, 2022, this has resulted in around P100.7 billion in income for the tourist industry, breaking its previous record of P4.94 billion for the same time last year.

Frasco then referenced the DOT report dated November 14 that indicated a total of 2,025,421 visitor arrivals in the nation, of which 1,488,343 or 73.43 percent were foreign tourists and 538,080 or 26.57 percent were abroad Filipinos.

“Our latest figures have reached well beyond the 1.7 million tourist projections of the DOT,” she added, saying that this indicates the desire for travel into the nation and the government’s emphasis on tourism recovery.

She then added: “We, therefore, must meet this with the continued implementation of enabling mechanisms that will convey not only the country’s openness to welcome more tourists but also conduciveness to the tourism business and livelihood opportunities for our fellow Filipinos.”

Frasco also noted that the United States is the leading source of international tourists to the country, with 385,121 visitors, followed by South Korea and Australia with 285,583 and 96,293 visitors, respectively.

The government of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has identified tourism as a “high potential engine for the transformation of the economy”; hence, it is one of its top priorities to recover the tourist industry from the decline brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic.

In addition, Marcos signed executive orders making the use of face masks optional in both indoor and outdoor situations, which, according to the DOT, might contribute to the revitalization of the tourist business.