Foreign tourist arrivals steadily rising

More people visit Boracay in this March 11 photo due to relaxed travel restrictions as cases of COVID-19 continue to decrease. (Photo courtesy of Jack Jarilla)

MANILA, Philippines — More foreigners are expected to spend summer in the Philippines, with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) expecting international arrivals to reach an average of 12,000 per day in the coming weeks.

At present, an average of 10,000 inbound travelers arrive daily, according to Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval.

Sandoval said the number has been rising steadily since the government eased restrictions on the entry of fully vaccinated foreign travelers in February.

“We see that this is gradually increasing and we’re expecting it to reach 12,000 on the average per day during the summer season, when many foreign nationals may come to spend the summer season here in the Philippines,” Sandoval said at the Laging Handa briefing.

READY FOR INFLUX | Foreign travelers have started arriving in Manila after travel restrictions were eased. (FILE PHOTO)

The number is expected to rise further since there would no longer be a limit on the number of international passengers allowed into the country beginning April 1.

Philippine embassies and consulates will also resume visa issuances on that day.

This means the country will be open to all fully vaccinated tourists from all countries, according to the Department of Tourism.

The international arrivals are expected to help revive tourism, which was one of the most affected industries during the pandemic as border closures hampered the movement of people.

Sandoval said the BI deployed its full force at the airports as the travel restrictions were relaxed.

This was in preparation for the higher number of travelers expected, she said.

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