MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Wednesday expressed optimism that it can exceed the target of 8.2 million international visitors this year, citing the spike in tourist arrivals in the first five months of 2019.
In a Palace briefing, DOT Assistant Secretary Roberto Alabado III said the Philippines had accommodated over 3.4 million foreign tourists from January to May 2019, which is 9.76 percent higher from the previous record in the same period last year.
“This makes us optimistic that we will not only achieve the target growth for 2019 as dictated by the National Tourism Development Plan 2016-2022, but we will positively surpass 2018’s numbers, a landmark year for Philippine tourism,” Alabado said.
“We are hoping with the aggressive campaign that the Tourism Promotions Board and Department of Tourism are currently doing, we have remarkable increases in some market segments like Europe, China, and Korea so that we can pull up the growth rate further and even exceed the 8.2 million,” he added.
According to the DOT, South Korean tourists were the top visitors to the country from January to May, followed by Chinese, American, and Japanese tourists.
In 2018, the Philippines welcomed a record 7.1 million tourists to its beaches and dive spots, despite the closure of its most famous resort, Boracay, for half a year. /ee
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