MANILA, Philippines — The country’s tourism revenue from foreign arrivals dipped 35 percent in the first three months of 2020 due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Friday.
DOT Undersecretary and spokesperson Benito Bengzon said the country only generated P85 billion from foreign arrivals from January to March this year compared to last year’s P134 billion.
“Unfortunately, tinamaan tayo nitong pandemic, ang estimate namin for the first three months of 2020, siguro bumagsak na ng minus 35 percent na revenue natin from foreign arrivals,” Bengzon said during the Laging Handa briefing.
(Unfortunately, we were hit by this pandemic. Our estimate for the first three months of 2020 is that our revenue from foreign arrivals decreased 35 percent.)
“Estimate namin siguro January to March of this year baka nasa P85 billion lang ang na-generate natin compared to P134 billion pesos for the first three months of last year,” he added.
(We estimated that from January to March this year, we only generated P85 billion compared to P134 billion for the first three months last year.)
Once the lockdown restrictions ease, Bengzon said the country’s tourism industry may recover through domestic travels and short-distance trips.
“Mag-uumpisa ‘yan mga domestic travel, mga short-distance muna siguro by land lang muna. And then siguro ‘yung mga kasama mo ‘yung pamilya mo or at least ‘yung mga kabisado mo ang travel history,” he said.
(It will start with domestic travel, with short-distance trips by land. You may travel with your family or those whose travel history is familiar to you.)
Earlier, DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat ruled out the possibility of international travel within the year.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 100% of the world’s global destinations are under travel restrictions as a result of the pandemic.
Globally, there are at least 3.2 million reported cases of COVID-19 with over 233,000 deaths.
In the Philippines, 8,488 persons have been confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus. Of this number, 568 persons have died and 1,043 persons have recovered.