The Department of Tourism (DOT) said Tuesday it fell short of its 2024 target of 7.7 million international visitor arrivals, recording only 5.64 million visitors as of Dec. 17, 2024.
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco linked the shortfall to a policy from the Department of Foreign Affairs that limited the entry of Chinese travelers.
The government also imposed a ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators which mostly employed Chinese nationals.
“All factors anticipating the arrival of 2 million Chinese visitors were disrupted by a suspension policy issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs,” Frasco said during a year-end briefing.
Despite missing the arrival target, Frasco emphasized the DOT’s pragmatic outlook, citing a record-breaking P712 billion in tourism receipts for 2024.
Tourism receipts this year represent a 119-percent recovery from 2019, she said.
Frasco said while it has been the traditional practice to look at arrivals and compare the Philippines with competitors as the singular measure of tourism performance, the DOT is now looking at other metrics.
“Focus on the numbers that matter like tourism receipts, tourism spends, length of stay, tourism employment,” Frasco said.
The DOT aims to exceed the P700 billion in tourism receipts in 2025 as part of its continued efforts to strengthen the sector.
The Philippines recorded P3.36 trillion in combined international and domestic tourism receipts in 2023, the highest on record.
