MANILA, 5 January 2023: Visitor arrivals exceeded the 1.7 million target reaching 2.65 million international visitor trips at the close of 2022.
The arrivals translated to PHP208.96 billion or USD3.68 billion in tourism revenues, a substantial 2,465.75% increase from 2021, according to a news briefing by the Department of Tourism on Monday.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) calculated that since the country reopened its borders to all travellers in February until the end of the year, international visitor arrivals and returning Filipinos tipped the 2.65 million mark – 628,445 were returning Filipinos, while the bulk of 2.02 million tourists came from top markets US (505,089), South Korea (428,014), Australia (137,974), Canada (121,413), UK (101,034), Japan (99,557), Singapore (53,448), India (51,542), Malaysia (46,805) and China (39,627).
DOT Secretary Christina Frasco said the tourism sector’s growth clearly showed the hard work of the entire industry to recover from the unprecedented crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Philippines News Agency.
“We welcome 2023 with gratitude and excitement for Philippine tourism to bounce back stronger than ever. We shall welcome with warmth and that distinct Filipino smile visitors from all over the world as they visit our award-winning beaches, experience the richness of our culture, and enjoy our world-renowned Filipino brand of service excellence,” she concluded.
(Source: Philippines News Agency)
