Foreign arrivals reach 2.04 million in the period January to March 2018, up 15% from the same period last year, the first time arrivals breached the two million mark for the first quarter of the year.
Visitor arrivals to the Philippines in the first quarter of the year hit a historic high but Boracay’s closure continues to dampen the tourism industry’s expectations for a record full-year performance.
Foreign arrivals reach 2.04 million in the period January to March 2018, up 15% from the same period last year, the first time arrivals breached the two million mark for the first quarter of the year.
South Korea and China continue to pace arrivals—477,087 Korean and 371,429 Chinese visitors in the first quarter. These two markets already account for nearly half of total arrivals, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said.
The United States was the Philippines’ third biggest market with 284,946 visitors while Japan registered 181,178 arrivals.
Other top markets included Canada (70,501), Taiwan (59,877), the United Kingdom (56,521), Singapore (44,398), Malaysia (37,090), Hong Kong (36,777), and India (32,999).
Tourist receipts in the first two months of 2018 grew to US$1.54 billion, almost double the US$785 million earned in the same period in 2017.
The Chinese and Korean markets keyed the record earnings, DOT said. Average per capita spending in the two-month period was US$1,179.34.
DOT said it is focusing on high-spending markets like China, citing United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) data that identified Chinese tourists as the world top spenders last year.
Industry stakeholders, however, said the strong showing has yet to factor in the closure of Boracay, which had two million arrivals in 2017.
Boracay was closed down last month after President Rodrigo Duterte called the island destination a “cesspool.” The island will be closed for six months to undergo rehabilitation work.