THE Department of Tourism (DoT) said the Philippines logged 2.65 million international arrivals in 2022, beating the 1.7 million target and raising hopes for the arrivals goal to be met in 2023.
In a statement on Monday, the DoT said that of the 2.65 million international arrivals in 2022, 2.02 million were foreigners while 628,445 were returning Filipinos.
Of the foreigner arrivals, the US accounted for 505,089, South Korea 428,014, Australia 137,974, Canada 121,413, the UK 101,034, Japan 99,557, Singapore 53,448, India 51,542, Malaysia 46,805, and China 39,627.
The data cover arrivals between February and December. The Philippines reopened its borders with easier quarantine requirements on Feb. 10.
“The holidays have delivered further gains for the Philippine tourism industry as it breached its 1.7 million target by year-end with 2.65 million international visitor arrivals as of Dec. 31,” the DoT said.
The DoT added that tourism-related jobs in 2022 numbered 5.23 million. The department tallied 11,989 DoT-accredited tourism enterprises as of Dec. 29.
It added that some 25,770 tourism stakeholders were also trained last year. Revenue generated from tourism in 2022 hit P208.96 billion, up 2,465.75% from a year earlier.
“We have overcome a global pandemic, survived various calamities, and thrived through a host of many other challenges. Yet, the Philippine tourism industry has managed to exceed expectations and our tourism partners and frontliners continue to offer the best of Filipino grace and hospitality to the world,” Tourism Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina G. Frasco said.
For 2023, Ms. Frasco has said that the DoT target is 4.8 million international visitors, which she said the department is confident of hitting.
“We welcome 2023 with gratitude and excitement for Philippine tourism to bounce back stronger than ever,” Ms. Frasco said.
“We look forward to the continued convergence and collaboration of our tourism stakeholders — travelers, tourism players, national agencies, local government units, and host communities —in propelling our industry to the heights of becoming a tourism powerhouse in Asia,” she added. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave