The Philippines experienced an all-time high for international tourist arrivals in 2019. It reached its target of 8.2 million visitors, which is about 1 million more than in 2018.
These 8.2 million arrivals contributed USD 9.31 billion or PHP 482.15 billion in visitor receipts. The Department of Tourism disclosed that this is 20.81% higher than the 2018 figure of USD 7.71 billion or Php 391.02 billion.
(La Union Food Crawl Guide 2019)
For Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat this only confirms the importance of the tourism sector as a key economic driver.
“The Philippine tourism industry’s continued impressive performance dramatizes the dedication, hard work and resilience of its stakeholders through a most challenging year. We count on the same enduring qualities to get us through the challenges this year,” said Sec. Puyat.
According to the data gathered by the DOT Office of Tourism Development Planning, Research and Information Management (OTDPRIM), a foreign guest incurred USD 128.35 average daily expenditure while the average per capita expenditure for a whole trip is pegged at about USD 1,218.04 on an average length of stay of 9.49 nights.
(Baguio City: Where to Stay, What to Do, and Where to Eat)
South Korea posted the highest tourist spending of about USD 2,614.685,263.92. This was followed by China with USD 2,330,491,557.70 then the United States with USD 1,208.970,514.75. Japan, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Germany, and Malaysia make up the rest of the 10 highest spending markets.
However, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has slowed down tourist markets around the world and is becoming a cause for concern.
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