South Koreans, Americans, Chinese among top PH tourists for first half of 2024
Tourists from South Korea, the United States, and China are among the top visitors of the Philippines in the first half of 2024, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).
According to data gathered by the government agency, the country has had a total of 3,173,694 inbound tourists from January to July this year. Of this number, 92.55% or 2,937,293 are foreigners while the remaining 7.45% or 236,401 are overseas Filipinos.
South Korea was once again cited as the Philippines’ top source of foreign arrivals, delivering 824,798 or 25.99% of the total number of visitors entering the country. This is followed by the US with 522,667 (16.47%) and China with 199,939 (6.30%).
Other countries who made it to the list include Japan with 188,805, Australia with 137,391, Taiwan with 121,351, Canada with 118,426, the UK with 86,092, Singapore with 81,864, and Malaysia with 51,921.
Because of this, the Philippines’ estimated visitor receipts ballooned to P282.17 billion in the first half of 2024. This is approximately 32.81% higher than the P212.47 billion revenue that was earned from the same period in 2023.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco regarded the rise as a testament to the "the growing appeal of the Philippines as a premier travel destination." She also noted how this underscores the tangible benefits tourism brings to the economy.
"The income generated through tourism directly translates to more opportunities and improved livelihoods for Filipinos, reinforcing the critical role this industry plays in our nation's progress," Frasco said.
"In the second half of the year, we anticipate these numbers to increase, not only the revenue generated but most importantly, the number of Filipinos employed in tourism-related industries," she continued, adding that the DOT has a number of projects aimed at improving the country's connectivity in the pipeline.
The tourism chief is also optimistic about furthering the gains of the industry as the 2024 Economic Impact Research of the World Travel and Tourism Council predicted that the tourism industry will reach a P5.4 trillion contribution to the economy this year.
According to the global private sector group, both international and domestic visitor spending is also set to break records this year, pegged at P715.6 billion and P3.7 trillion, respectively, which could potentially exceed 2019's record by 5.7% and 1.8%.