In its latest report, the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) saw a significant increase in tourism-generated revenues for the first half of this year.
Tourism secretary Christina Frasco said of this development: “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.”
The report shows that the tourism industry earned more than US$4.77 billion in revenues during the period spanning January to June 2024. This marks an increase of around 32.81 percent from where figures were at this time in 2023.
Travellers in the millions
At the beginning of this month, tourist arrivals to the Philippines totalled 3.17 million, consisting of approximately 2.9 million foreign nationals and 236,401 overseas Filipinos.
South Korean travellers made up the bulk of these arrivals, making up around 824,000 visitors These were followed by travellers from the US at 522,000; Chinese tourists came in third with a head count of 199,000 visitors.
Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Malaysia made up the remaining top visitor source markets for the first half of the year.
