Half a million visitors in February, DOT says

By: Jerome Aning - 8 years ago

Some 579,178 foreign visitors, half of them from South Korea and the United States, came to the Philippines in February this year, the highest number since 2013, Department of Tourism (DOT) statistics showed on Wednesday.

The figure represents an increase of 27.81 percent over the past four years and 5.36 percent higher compared to the number of visitors in February last year, the DOT said.

Visitors from South Korea topped all other markets in February, reaching 150,598, representing a 26-percent share of total inbound traffic in the Philippines. It was a 9.51-percent increase from the same period last year.

“We have maintained and even increased figures from South Korea and we expect to see further growth, as Korean tourists perceive our country as a distinctive global destination built on unique experiences and rich natural beauty,” Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said in a statement.

Completing the top five markets for the period are the United States with 137,598 (23.76 percent); China, 78,251 (13.51 percent); Japan, 53,957 (9.32 percent), and Taiwan, with 20,472 (3.53 percent).

Teo said that as result of stepped-up promotion efforts by both government tourism bodies and private stakeholders, other markets also showed an increase in February, with Australian arrivals rising by 9.32 percent (20,157), Canada by 21.39 percent (19,016), and the United Kingdom by 15.65 percent (15,226).

The secretary said that among the top 12 markets, Germany registered the highest per capital expenditure for February 2017. On average, a German visitor spent P60,260.45 while in the country.

The United Kingdom followed with per capita spending of P47,533.15; then Canada, P43,761.75; Korea, P38,714.46, and France, P37,354.40.

Teo also said the Philippines welcomed a total of 8,176 cruise passengers through various ports in the country.

Manila remained the country’s top cruise destination with recorded arrivals of 2,785 passengers, followed by Boracay with 1,145, Bohol with 692 passengers, and Pangasinan with 640 passengers.

The DOT said the combined January arrivals of 631,639 and the arrivals in February would have represented 17.30 percent of the tourism sector’s target of 7 million foreign visitors for 2017.