PH reaches 2M mark for Q1 tourist arrivals — DOT

It’s a great time for Philippine tourism, as the country hit the 2-million mark for tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2018.

According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Philippines welcomed 2,049,094 international visitors for the first quarter of the year, which is a 14.8 percent increase from the 1,784,882 foreign tourists that visited the country in 2017.

Chinese and Koreans were the two biggest markets during the first quarter, followed by tourists from the United States. The figures for the first quarter showed that Chinese arrivals during the first three months of the year were at 371,429, which is close to the 477,087 Koreans that visited in the first quarter.

DOT said that the Chinese topped the list as the fastest growing market, with 114,549 visitors for the month of March alone.

The agency also said that their target for Chinese arrivals this year remains at 1.5 million, as it strives for more quality tourists who spend more while in the country.

According to a report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the Chinese are the world’s top tourism spenders for 2017. Records show that China spent the most at USD258 billion, followed by United States at USD135 billion, Germany at USD84 billion, and the United Kingdom at USD63 billion.

Chinese tourists in the country spend almost USD50 per day during an average length of stay of 6.24 nights, as shown in the DOT Annual Visitor Sample Survey 2017.

The report also found that shopping, sightseeing, adventure, and nature trips were the usual activities of Chinese travelers.

via PTV News