Philippines Sees Strong Tourism Rebound with 3.3 Million Foreign Arrivals in 2023
Skift Take
- Foreign arrivals in the Philippines reached 3.3 million in the first eight months of 2023, approaching the government's annual goal of 4.8 million. South Korea was the top source of inbound tourists.
- Trip.com Group reported robust recovery in domestic and international business in 2Q23, with strong growth in domestic hotel bookings in China. However, outbound hotel and air reservations remained down compared to pre-Covid levels.
- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts signed three new agreements with Indonesia Hospitality Group, expanding its presence in Indonesia. This follows the earlier launch of the Howard Johnson by Wyndham brand in Indonesia.
The Philippines Dept. of Tourism said foreign arrivals reached 3.3 million in the first eight months of 2023, approaching the government's goal of 4.8 million arrivals for the full year. South Korea remains the top inbound tourist source, with over 940,000 visitor arrivals recorded in the eight months. The US was second with 17.31% of arrivals, or 632,687. The government is confident in the full-year arrival target, especially after launching the Philippine e-Visa system, with the initial phase targeting Chinese tourists in Shanghai with plans to expand to India in the next stage. The eventual expansion of the e-Visa system is envisioned to cover all Philippine foreign service posts spread across China.
Trip.com Group revealed that the domestic and international business continued to recover robustly in 2Q23, with China's domestic hotel bookingsgrowing by 170% year over year and over 60% compared to the same period in
