TOURIST arrivals in the Philippines continues to recover, with South Koreans leading the way and regaining their top spot with the largest market share.
Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed visitor arrivals reaching 1.35 million from January 1 to March 28 this year, or 38.6 percent less than the 2.2 million who arrived in the first quarter of 2019. Of total arrivals so far this year, foreign tourists accounted for 1.24 million, while overseas Filipinos, or Philippine passport holders permanently residing abroad, were 106,806.
Visitors from South Korea reached 349,180 from January 1 to March 28 this year, accounting for some 26 percent of the period’s total arrivals. They were about 33 percent less than the 519,584 who arrived in the first quarter of 2019.
This developed as the DOT reported 1,400 South Koreans arriving in Cebu City on an incentive tour from their company, Unicity, a direct-selling company on health functional foods, cosmetics and household items, and present in over 60 markets worldwide. Initial batches arrived on April 9 and 13, with more arriving on the 17th and 21st, said the agency in a news statement.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco received 300 South Korean tourists who arrived on April 13 at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport via chartered Korean Airlines flight 9615.
“They’re coming on a daily basis and the numbers are increasing by the day. Last year, they were at number two, because the United States [was our] number one top source market. But this year, the Koreans have reclaimed the number one spot and we send out the message to all our friends in Korea, that you are more than welcome to keep coming back again and again to Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, and the rest of our beautiful islands in the Philippines,” she said.
Prior to the pandemic, South Korea ranked number one in terms of visitor arrivals to the Philippines, with close to 2 million, or 24.08 percent of the country’s total number of arrivals in 2019.
‘Picking up where we left off’
Meanwhile, visitor arrivals from the United States ranked second in terms of market share with 243,327 arrivals, or 18 percent of total arrivals. The market was only 17 percent less than the 293,780 who arrived in the first quarter of 2019.
In third place was Canada with 67,237 arrivals (less 7.1 percent from 2019); followed by Australia with 64,301 (-12.1 percent); Japan 62,280 (-65 percent); Taiwan 41,293 (-47 percent); China 41,260 (-91 percent); the United Kingdom 39,945 (-25.2 percent); Singapore 34,438 (-12.8 percent); Malaysia 24,450 (-35 percent); and Germany 23,984 (-29 percent).
Rajah Tours Philippines President Jose C. Clemente III noted other markets picking up even as China arrivals continued to lag poorly. “As we have seen during the reopening [last year], other markets have now discovered or have been offering the Philippines more vigorously than in the past, resulting in higher revenues, if not in total arrivals, at least from the leisure standpoint.”
He noted for instance his experience in the recent ITB Berlin Convention, a major travel trade show in Europe. “It was sort of us picking up where we left off in 2019, when we were picking up momentum [prior to the pandemic]. The buyers still want to send clients to the Philippines. Interest was coming from across the board in Europe. Our main concern will be accessibility and availability of flights.”
Clemente, a past president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines added, the buyers’ questions focused mostly “on the entry protocols and traveling around the country. They’ve done their research actually. Inter-island connectivity was also what they wanted to be clarified on.”
The DOT has been working on government to offer e-visa arrivals for China and India to boost tourist arrivals from both countries. (See, “Does PHL tourism rely unduly on China?” in the BusinessMirror, April 10, 2023.)
