1-7-2023 (MANILA) The Philippines has already welcomed 2.67 million overseas tourists as of Thursday, which is over half of the targeted number of foreign tourists for the year, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT). Out of the total arrivals in the first six months of 2023, 2.44 million are foreigners, with South Koreans leading the way at 665,757.
The latest figures showed that Americans who traveled from the United States accounted for 509,526 of foreign tourists arriving in the country, followed by Australians at 128,232, Japanese at 127,139, and Canadians at 123,439.
The DOT aims to achieve a target of 4.8 million international tourist arrivals this year, as travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have been further relaxed. The mandatory wearing of face masks, testing, and quarantine rules have all been eased.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco expressed her elation with the foreign tourist arrivals so far and recently launched the new “Love the Philippines” tourism campaign. This campaign was led by President Marcos with Frasco at the Manila Hotel last Tuesday.
The DOT spent a total of P49 million to come up with the Love the Philippines tourism campaign. According to Frasco, “it is right to invest in Philippine tourism because it gives so much benefit to the economy and to the Filipino people.”
US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson congratulated the DOT on its 50th anniversary and shared her love for the country in a tweet. Meanwhile, in Congress, there has been a difference in opinion about the country’s rebranded tourism program in terms of how it promotes the majestic Mayon Volcano.
In a letter sent to the DOT secretary, Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman said the “purported disenchantment of [Albay 2nd District] Rep. Joey Salceda on the low priority given by the DOT to the Mayon Volcano as a tourist destination is essentially a political soundbite.”
