Decrease in Tourist Numbers for the Philippines in Q1 2025

The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) announced that foreign tourist arrivals declined by about 0.51% until March 31st. This reduction can be notably attributed to decreased visitors from major markets like China and South Korea.

Key Statistics:

• South Korea remains the largest source of tourists with 395,059 visitors, showing a decrease of 13.9% compared to the previous year.
• The United States and Japan followed with 285,597 and 125,083 arrivals, respectively.

The situation regarding Chinese tourists is particularly concerning, as they now rank as the sixth largest market after experiencing a 33.7% drop, totaling around 72,665 visitors.

Despite these challenges, there has been substantial growth in visitor numbers from Australia, Canada, and Singapore. The DOT has set an ambitious goal of 8.4 million foreign arrivals for 2025, aiming for a 55% increase compared to last year’s target.