DOT sees foreign tourist arrivals breaching 8M

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is eyeing a record-breaking 8 million visitors to the country this year.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said preliminary data on visitor arrivals for 2019 showed that the number of tourists who arrived this year had already surpassed the 7.1 million recorded in 2018.“Breaching the 8-million mark is another milestone to celebrate, as it marks the unprecedented growth of the country’s tourism industry,” Puyat said in a statement.

DOT officials welcomed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Friday the country’s symbolic 8 millionth foreign visitor, a Japanese beauty product dealer on vacation with her husband.

Yachiyo Imamoto, 71, a resident of Yokohama, Japan, arrived with her husband Tamio at Naia Terminal 3 around 1:30 p.m. via All Nippon Airways flight NH-689.

8th visit to PH

The Imamotos were welcomed by DOT Assistant Secretary for Tourism Development Roberto Alabado III, DOT-National Capital Region director Woodrow Maquiling Jr. and Naia 3 duty-free store manager Monica Ruffy.

The Japanese couple were given prizes, gifts and other tokens as part of the welcome ceremony that was also attended by All Nippon Airways executives led by station manager Tetsuji Tsuruhori as well as Bureau of Immigration-Naia chief Grifton Medina.

In a press conference, Yachiyo said she had already gone to the Philippines eight times to visit her foster family whom she and her husband hosted in exchange in Japan.