Manila, the capital of the Philippines (Source: internet) Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippine Department of Tourism said tourism is booming in the country with more than 8 million visitors in 2019.
"Breaking the eight-million mark is another milestone to celebrate, as it marks the unprecedented growth of the country's tourism industry," Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement.
He attributed the historic figure to a number of factors, especially the coming of Chinese holidaymakers, the refreshed branding campaign called "It's More Fun in the Philippines", and the re-opening of Boracay island resort after a six-month clean up.
China ranks second in the number of arrivals to the Philippines. In the first 10 months of this year, the Philippines welcomed nearly 1,5 million Chinese tourists, up 41 percent from the same period in 2018.
Every week, more than 300 flights are shuttling between China and the Philippines.
The detailed report of visitor arrivals for 2019 will be released early in January next year.
The Philippines hopes to reach its target of 8.2 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2019, a million higher than 2018.
According to the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA), the tourism sector contributed 12.7 percent to the Philippine economy in 2018./.
VNA
