MANILA, 27 January 2020: Two Asian nations, South Korea and China figured as the top two source markets for travel to the Philippines during the 11 months, January to November 2019.
The Department of Tourism reported last week foreign tourist arrivals hit 7.4 million up by 15.58% year-on-year.
South Korea delivered 1,785,357 tourist arrivals, followed by China 1,626,309, and the United States with 954,952.
China continues to be the fastest-growing market, with a growth rate of 40.2% during the 11 months, but the outlook for this year is grim due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Last week, airlines suspended flights from China, and at the weekend two charter airlines cut a tour series short and repatriated 500 Chinese from the Philippines back to their home city of Wuhan where the virus was first detected a month earlier.
The Department of Tourism Secretary, Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, estimates that the country will hit 8.1 million for the entire year.
“If the December figures are the same as last year, for sure we’re going to be getting at least 8.1 million visitors. The target is 8.2 million, but as I always say, I’m still for the revenue than the numbers. It’s still good,” the DOT Secretary told reporters during the press conference.
Boracay remained as the top tourist destination last year, with 1.6 foreign visitors, followed by Cebu which attracted 1.4 million tourists, and Davao del Sur with 1.3 million.
The data on international visitor arrival comes from arrival cards filled out by foreign nationals and collected by the Bureau of Immigration and does not differentiate between business or leisure travellers.
(Source PNA)
