The Philippines earns 8.67 billion USD from international tourists in 2023. (Photo: beta.tourism.gov.ph) Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) on January 3 said that the country welcomed more than 5.4 million foreign tourists and earned 482.54 PHP (8.67 billion USD) from them in 2023.
Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco revealed that 5,450,557 international visitors entered the country in the year. Of the international arrivals, 91.8% were foreigners, while the remaining were overseas Filipinos. The arrivals exceeded the Philippines' 4.8 million target for 2023.
The Republic of Korea retained its top position as the Philippines' primary source of international visitors. It was followed by the US, Japan, Australia, and China. With the results, 2023 was a win for the country’s tourism industry, she added.
The minister noted that the Philippines has also reached an estimated 66% recovery rate for its all-time high international visitor arrivals achieved in 2019.
Before the pandemic struck, the country recorded 482.15 billion PHP (8.66 billion USD) in international tourism earnings in 2019.
The DOT said the country aims to hit 7.7 million international visitor arrivals by 2024.
As a key economic driver in the Philippines, tourism contributed 6.2% of the country's gross domestic product in 2022, with at least 2.65 million inbound foreign visitors./.
