Koreans, Chinese are top PHL tourists with foreign arrivals up 6% —DOT

Almost a million and a half foreigners visited the Philippines in the first two months of 2019, the Department of Tourism said on Wednesday.

Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. said 1.49 million tourists visited the country in January and February, a 6-percent increase from the 1.4 million tourists for the same period in 2018.

“Growth rate natin is about 6 percent. Maganda ang takbo natin so far,” he said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum in Cafe  Adriatico in Manila.

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said they are targeting 8.2 million visits by the end of the year.

Korea still tops the visitor markets with 180,890 visits in February 2019 alone, followed by China with 174,175 visits.

USA, Japan, and Taiwan also made it to the top 5 international markets that made visits to the Philippines.

Their top destinations were Manila and Cebu.

Domestic tourism

Puyat also boasted of an increase in domestic tourism.

“Our domestic tourism is 97 million,” she said during the same forum.

“Right now Filipinos like traveling all around the Philippines,” she added.

She said that they have already surpassed the 2022 target, which was 89 million, as stated in the National Tourism Development Plan.

“But we’ve already reached 97 million so we are calibrating kung ano na yung bagong goal natin for 2022,” Puyat said.

The DOT credited the boost in tourism to the improving access and connectivity around the country. Puyat said more international gateways have opened up, and more are being built.

“It’s because of the access and connectivity. [It’s] better now. But of course we are continuously working with the Department of Transportation on rehabilitating the airports,” she said. — MDM, GMA News