The Philippines has already welcomed 2 million foreign tourists this May, bolstering confidence in the tourism industry’s capacity to fully recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data from the Department of Tourism shows that the country recorded 2,002,304 international visitor arrivals from January 1 to May 12, 2023.
South Korea topped the list of overseas markets with 487, 502 visitors (24.35%), followed by the United States with 352, 894 (17.62%); Australia with 102, 494 (5.12%); Canada with 98, 593 (4.92%); and Japan with 97, 329 (4.86%).
China (75,043), Taiwan (62,654), the United Kingdom (62,291), Singapore (53,359), and Malaysia (36,789) complete the top 10.
The DOT registered P168.52 billion in inbound visitor receipts from January to April 2023, up 782.59% from the P19 billion in tourism revenues generated in the same period in 2022.
“We are at the cusp of the massive success of tourism in the Philippines. You can feel it, you can hear it, and you can see it. It’s our time, Philippines; it’s our time to become Asia’s leading tourism powerhouse,” Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said..
The country aims to attract 4.8 million international visitors this year.
SUGGESTED STORIES:
Why is the Senate Presidency important?
ON Monday, May 20, the upper chamber of the Philippine.
Melai Cantiveros, hinirang na honorary ambassador ng Korean Tourism Organization
LABIS ang pasasalamat ngayon ng Pilipinang komedyanteng si Melai Cantiveros.
Mayor Alice Guo hopes to find biological mom
EMBATTLED Bamban Mayor Alice Guo expressed hope in finding her.
Country branding campaign
Meanwhile, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications (OPACC) on Saturday clarified that the “We Give the World Our Best—The Philippines” campaign was meant to make Filipinos proud of themselves, “here at home and anywhere everywhere all over the world.”
OPACC Secretary Paul Soriano issued the statement after an ad on a London bus featuring Filipina nurse May Parsons was interpreted by some people as part of the country’s tourism campaign.
The London ad came out during King Charles III’s coronation earlier this month.
Parson was featured holding up a syringe and was described as the nurse who administered the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, along with the tagline “A Filipina. We Give the World Our Best. The Philippines.”
“OPACC wants to clear the confusion and clarify that it was not meant, in any way, to promote the country’s tourist destinations,” Soriano said.
“Video ads featuring true stories of successful Filipinos in different countries were also released within the same period, aired overseas. The first two ads tell the story of Charm, a Filipina caregiver in the UK, and DJ, a barista in Italy,” he added.
“Similar ads are now being planned, intended for other countries in the world, such as the US and the Middle East, that will likewise focus on OFWs making a name for themselves.”
Soriano said the branding campaign “intends to let the whole world know how good, compassionate, and competent Filipinos are.”
“Through this country branding campaign, we want to uplift the spirit of our overseas Filipinos and honor them particularly for their values that make Filipinos known to do their best at whatever chosen field, wherever they go, and whatever it is they do. They truly deserve this,” he said.
