MANILA, 14 November 2019: The Philippine welcomed 6.1 million tourists for the nine months January to September, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported earlier this week.
According to the latest data released by the DOT, tourist arrivals reached 6,161,503 up 14.37% from the 5,387,458 arrivals recorded in the same period last year.
The Philippines News Agency quoted the Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat saying: “The figures look very promising, and we are glad that more tourists are visiting us in light of the accolades received by the Philippines and our destinations throughout the year,”
During September, the DOT clocked up 606,553 visits up 17.09% from 518,041 in a month that is traditionally the lowest for tourist arrivals.
For the first nine months, South Korea topped the top-10 supply market list with 1,450,792 arrivals, followed by China, with 1,359,817. The US in the third spot, delivered 792,619 visits the highest for any of the country’s long-haul markets.
Japan ranked fourth with 518,211 arrivals, followed by Taiwan with 252,578.
Last month, the Philippines ranked eighth among the 20 Most Favourite Countries in the World according to votes by Condé Nast readers.
Last month, the Philippines was also hailed as Asia’s Leading Dive Destination by the prestigious 2019 World Travel Awards (WTA) at its Asia and Oceania awards ceremony held on Phu Quoc, a holiday island in southern Vietnam.
DOT was also named Asia’s leading tourism board by World Travel Awards for its progress in boosting visits to the country.
“While these awards prove prudence in our efforts to bolster Philippine tourism, ultimately, what keeps us doing what we do in the DOT is seeing more of our countrymen revel in the positive impacts of genuine sustainable tourism,” Romulo-Puyat told local media.
(Source: Philippines News Agency)
