For this year, the Philippines remains consistent with its goal of 8.2 million foreign visitors as international arrivals hit the 5 million mark at the end of August, the Department of Tourism said.
Official figures released by the Office for Tourism Development Planning of the DOT's Research and Information Management division show that from the period January-August this year international arrivals exceeded 5.56 million, rising 14 percent from 4.88 million from the same months in 2018.
The Philippines remains in line with its goal of 8.2 million foreign visitors for this year as international arrivals reached the 5 million mark at the end of August, the Tourism Department said.
According to official figures submitted by the Office for Tourism Development Planning, Analysis and Information Management, foreign arrivals reached 5.56 million from January to August this year, up 14 percent from 4.88 million in 2018.
For the month of August, arrivals from foreign countries rose from 551,089 in the same month in 2018, to 27.6 million to 702,844.
According to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, the figures are a positive development for the Philippines' tourism market. "This is very promising as we await the completion of the month's statistics," she said.
Puyat said she is grateful for the support of the local government and the private sector in the nationwide campaign of the government's push for the sustainable tourism industry.
"The DOT's approach to integration with other government agencies and industry players is proving to be successful in increasing travel connectivity," Romulo-Puyat said.
The tourism department's aggressive "convergence approach", Romulo-Puyat, allows the program to "welcome more visitors through more affordable tourism packages."
In August, Korea emerged as the leading origin of international visitors in the Philippines, with 185,335 arrivals, with China coming in next with 170,905.
In contrast, tourist arrivals from Japan hit 78,700, reclaiming the spot held by the United States, which in the same period accounted for 68,419 arrivals.
The country is targeting a 15-percent increase from 7.2 million in 2018 to 8.3 million foreign visitors this year under the department's National Tourism Development Plan.
Romulo-Puyat said earlier that more efforts should be initiated on the tourism segment's profits and contribution to the economy.
Visitor receipts were up by 17.7 percent to P244 billion in the first six months of the fiscal year.
Meanwhile, tourism contributed 12.8 percent of the country's gross domestic product at P2.3 trillion in 2018, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. In the same year, the sector was also responsible for 5.5 million jobs.
