Philippines hits over half of its 2024 arrival target

Philippine tourism secretary Christina Frasco disclosed that the country achieved half of its arrivals target for this year as of 5th September.

At the opening of the 35th Philippine Travel Mart on Friday, 6th September, Frasco disclosed that the country already welcomed 4.08 million foreign travellers through its air and sea ports.

As of press time, the Philippines is still around 3.61 million arrivals short of its 7.7 million target for 2024, but the secretary expressed optimism that numbers will grow before the end of the year.

The secretary likewise added that the numbers prove that interest in the Philippines remains strong among global travellers.

A strong financial rebound

Frasco added that the Philippine tourism sector achieved full recovery of pre-pandemic figures over the first eight months of the year, earning PHP362 billion in revenues from January to August 2024.

This is at least 111.17 percent higher than the PHP326 billion it recorded in the same period in 2019.

Frasco said: “This financial rebound underscores the growing appeal of the Philippines and the robust recovery of the tourism sector.”

She added that her department would continue the diversification of its portfolio in order to encourage more international tourists to travel and discover the Philippines. As such, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is slated to offer unique and immersive experiences to enable travellers to make the most out of their trips to the country.

As she puts it: “We are pioneering new approaches such as experiential tourism and diversification of tourism products. We are moving beyond traditional tourism by inviting travelers to engage with the Philippines on a deeper level.”