The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) reported that the number of foreign arrivals dropped by around 0.51 percent as of 31st March.
There was a significant decline in arrivals from key markets, particularly China and South Korea.
South Korea remains the Philippines’ largest tourism source market with 395,059 arrivals in the first quarter of this year though the figure is 13.9 percent lower than it was in the same period in 2024.
The United States and Japan came in second and third with 285,597 and 125,083 arrivals respectively.
Declining numbers
Meanwhile, arrivals from the Chinese Mainland continue to decline and the country itself is now but the sixth largest source market.
Chinese arrivals in Q1-2025 dropped by 33.7 percent, totalling around 72,665.
Nevertheless, the DOT reports significant year-on-year growth among arrivals from Australia, Canada, and Singapore.
The department has set itself an ambitious target of 8.4 million foreign arrivals for 2025, 55 percent higher than its target last year.
