(Eagle News)–More than two million foreign visitors arrived in the Philippines during the first quarter of 2018.
According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), there were 2,049,094 tourists who visited the country from January to March.
This is 14.08 percent higher compared to the 1,784,882 tourist arrivals in the same period.
“We already welcomed over two million foreign guests to the Philippines in just three months compared to last year when it took four months or until April to reach two million,” DOT Secretary Wanda Teo said in a press release.
“For the first quarter, it has been a tight contest between the Chinese and the Koreans. In fact, these two key markets, together with the Americans, already comprise more than half our tourist arrivals,” Teo added.
In March 2018, a total of 114,549 Chinese nationals and 122,387 Koreans had visited the country.
“Our target for the Chinese arrivals this year remains at 1.5 million as we strive for more quality tourists who spend more in the country,” Teo said.
Other foreign visitors include Americans with 284,946; Japanese with 181,178; and Australians with 74,027; Canadians with 70,501; Taiwanese with 59,877; British with 56,521; Singaporeans with 44, 398; Malaysians with 37,090; and Indians with 32,999 arrivals.
The increase in foreign arrivals was a result of the tourism department’s campaign and promotions to boost Philippine tourism.
(Jodi Bustos, Eagle News Service)
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