Chinese arrivals went down in 2024 —DOT

There has been a significant decrease in the number of arrivals of Chinese nationals in the Philippines, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said on Friday. 

During an episode of the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, Frasco was asked if the total ban on POGO hubs has an effect on the arrivals of Chinese nationals in the country. She said that in 2024, Chinese arrivals only reached ''a little over 300,000.'' 

''Well, I can only speak to the raw data that has been provided to us on the basis of the arrivals themselves and without drawing conclusions, the clear difference between the Chinese arrivals in the pandemic which exceeded one million and the Chinese arrivals as of 2024 which is a little over 300,000 would show that the barriers to entry into the Philippines including and chiefly the suspension of the electronic visa gravely affected the Chinese market for the Philippines,'' Frasco said. 

In May of last year, the Philippines tightened its visa requirements for Chinese tourists amid a high number of fraudulent applications received in its embassy and consulates in China.

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. also directed the total ban on POGOs as their operations had been linked to criminal activities. 

Frasco said South Korea continues to be Manila's number one source market of tourists, noting that the government is improving efforts to increase the number of arrivals from the said country. 

''So we are doubling down on our efforts to ensure na mas madadagdagan pa iyong mga tourists natin from South Korea kasama na rin diyan iyong ating mga turista from the United States, especially with the new direct flights that have been mounted from the US that include San Francisco to Manila, Seattle to Manila and the like,'' Frasco said. 

''Kasali rin diyan iyong Japan dahil napaka-encouraging ng tourism statistics from Japan coming into the country and napakadami nating mga tourism products that are attractive specifically to the Japanese market,'' she added. 

Frasco also said the Philippines is very grateful that tourists from Australia are visiting the country to see the ''award-winning islands and destinations.'' 

She is also confident about the large opportunity for tourist arrivals from India. 

''And siyempre iyong tinitingnan natin na large opportunity for the Philippines is India,'' Frasco said.

''And we are grateful that the President has directed that an electronic visa or electronic travel authority option maybe explored for the Indian market and we are hopeful that the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration can mount that for this year,'' she added.—LDF, GMA Integrated News