REVENUE from tourism activities, products, and services totaled P65.3 billion in January, up 78.8% from a year earlier, the Department of Tourism (DoT) said.
In a statement on Thursday, the DoT said that the January total also exceeded the pre-pandemic level of P43 billion.
“The surge of income for Philippine tourism is a sign that the industry is not only bouncing back from the pandemic but is also evolving and expanding, contributing significantly to the country’s economic stability and growth,” Tourism Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina G. Frasco said.
She added that the increasing revenue “translate to thousands of jobs created for Filipinos, especially in our rural and underserved areas.”
The tourism revenue estimate was based on visitor surveys, arrival/departure data, shipping manifests, and the eTravel System.
In 2024, tourism revenue hit a record P760.5 billion, up 9.04%.
Separately, the Philippines welcomed 1.17 million foreign travelers in the first two months of the year.
South Korea was still the top source of arrivals for the first two months, accounting for 295,611, or 25.3%, of the total. This represents a 10.3% decline from the 329,651 South Korean visitors a year earlier.
“South Korea has been the Philippines’ top source of tourists since 2023, which is expected to increase further with the appointment of South Korean star Seo In-Guk as ‘celebrity tourism ambassador for the Philippines’ in February,” the DoT said.
Next to South Korea were the US (229,836), Japan (83,208), Canada (65,145), and Australia (61,564).
“The Philippines also welcomed 53,545 tourists from China, 41,388 from Taiwan, 34,451 from the UK, 29,352 from Singapore, and 21,252 from France,” the DoT added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile