The Philippines recorded 5.94 million foreign visitor arrivals in 2025, demonstrating sector resilience despite global economic headwinds and domestic travel alerts, according to Bureau of Immigration (BI) data.
The 2025 arrival figures were broadly flat compared with the 5.95 million international tourists recorded in 2024, representing a marginal 0.15 percent decline year-on-year.
When 543,085 returning overseas Filipinos are included, total international arrivals reached 6.48 million for the year.
Alternative data from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) eTravel System showed 5.86 million foreign visitors, a 1.4-percent decrease from 2024 levels. Officials noted the BI records are higher as they include cruise passengers and other visitor categories not fully captured by the digital eTravel platform.
Preliminary estimates based on BI records showed international visitor expenditure reached P694 billion in 2025. This represented a 9.5-percent decrease from the record P760 billion generated in 2024.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) said the industry’s performance should not be assessed solely on headline arrival numbers. The agency said sectoral health should also be measured through value creation, employment generation and strong domestic travel.
The DOT said these figures remain subject to refinement until the Philippine Statistics Authority releases official tourism statistics in the second quarter of the year.
Guided by the National Tourism Development Plan 2023–2028, the agency said it remains focused on improving connectivity and enhancing safety.
The DOT said it also aims to strengthen workforce skills and raise service standards to maintain a competitive and inclusive tourism environment.
