The Department of Tourism (DOT) reported of the increase in foreign tourist arrivals in the country during the first nine months.
DOT Undersecretary Ronaldo Cañizal said foreign tourist arrivals in the Philippines increased to 12 percent from January to September of this year.
The increase, he added, that reached up to 4.46 million visits, is an indication of tourists’ confidence in the Philippines as a destination.
He also attributed the increase to the continuing efforts of the DOT to improve the country’s accessibility to visiting foreign tourists.
“We’re trying to get more air seats from certain markets,” Cañizal said, adding that top five source markets during the period include Korea, USA, China, Japan and Australia still making the top five.
Cañizal also emphasized that the increase in foreign tourist arrivals also brought in some P178 billion to the country from January to September this year.
The undersecretary also stressed the significance of the recent state visits of President Duterte to China and Japan that piqued the interests of tourists from said countries to come to the Philippines.
DOT is also expecting a surge in the arrival of Japanese and Chinese tourists to the country next year.
Recently, Chinese tour operators in the Philippines expressed confidence of bringing in more than one million Chinese tourists in the country.
The DOT, in its previous pronouncement said it is working to target six million foreign tourist arrivals to the country by the end of 2016.
