Koreans are top PH visitors this year

South Koreans continued to be the top visitors to the country this year, with 1.4 million tourists arriving since January.

Data from the Bureau of Immigration showed that 1,467,982 South Koreans entered the country from January to November this year.

This was slightly 1.3 percent higher than the total figure of South Korean arrivals for 2016, which reached 1,448,362.

American nationals came in second with 869,732 arrivals, but this was 4 percent lower than last year’s figure of 909,331.

In third place were Chinese nationals, who reached 796,487 arrivals from January to November this year, 35 percent higher than the 588,945 arrivals in 2016.

Meanwhile, Japanese visitors to the country numbered 510,736 so far this year, a 0.27 decrease from last year’s 512,147 arrivals. —Julie M. Aurelio