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Friday, March 29, 2024

Immigration posts sharp decline in tourist visa extensions in 2020

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The Bureau of Immigration has reported a 45-percent drop in the number of applications for tourist visa extensions for 2020.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the bureau’s Tourist Visa Section processed 240,276 applications for extension of stay of tourists, which was 44.67-percent lower than the 434,251 applications it received in 2019.

Morente said the sharp decline in numbers was expected, considering that the entry of aliens remains restricted following the travel bans set due to the Covid-19 pandemic that started in March last year.

“International travel restrictions remain in place even as we anticipate a gradual lifting of these restrictions this year as the vaccines against COVID-19 begin to arrive,” he said.

“We hope that the tourism industry will finally rebound at least by the second or third quarter of 2021 and the Philippines will once again open its doors to foreign visitors.”

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Morente also said that, due to entry restrictions on foreign tourists, the amount of visa extension fees also registered a significant decrease in 2020.

He said the agency’s collections from visa extension fees amounted to only P1.3 billion last year, which was 40 percent less than the almost P2.2 billion earned in 2019.

The collection from visa extension fees is one of the major sources of revenue for the agency, and has always been considered as indicative of the Philippines’ growing reputation as a major tourist destination in Southeast Asia.

A rise in the visa extension fee collections would mean more foreign tourists are opting to prolong their stay in the country, thus contributing to the development of the economy.

“Despite the low numbers for 2020, we remain hopeful that the tourism industry can bounce back this year,” Morente said.  

Applications for extension of stay may be filed at the agency’s main office in Manila or in any of its authorized field, extension or satellite offices throughout the country.

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