The Department of Tourism (DOT) said Thursday the Philippines surpassed its pre-pandemic tourism revenues, reaching P65.3 billion in January 2025.
The figure jumped 78.9 percent from P36.5 billion registered in January 2024. This was also higher by 51.86 percent than international tourism receipts in January 2019 before the pandemic.
Data from the DOT showed that the sector bounced back from the long-term impact of the pandemic, said Secretary Christina Frasco.
“The recovery of Philippine tourism in terms of revenues translates to thousands of jobs for Filipinos, providing livelihood opportunities, especially in rural and underserved areas,” she said.
The DOT compiles tourism revenue figures based on visitor sample surveys, arrival and departure records, shipping manifests and data from the eTravel system.
The Philippines recorded tourism revenues of about P760 billion in 2024.
Meanwhile, 1,167,908 foreign travelers visited the country in the first two months of 2025.
South Korea remained the top source of tourists, contributing 25.31 percent of all arrivals, with 295,611 visitors.
Korea has been the Philippines’ leading tourist market since 2023, a trend expected to strengthen with the recent appointment of South Korean star Seo In-Guk as a celebrity tourism ambassador.
The United States followed with 229,836 visitors, Japan with 83,208, Canada with 65,145 and Australia with 61,564.
Other top markets included China with 53,545 tourists; Taiwan, 41,388; the United Kingdom, 34,451; Singapore, 29,352; and France, 21,252.