Tourist arrivals to PH surge in 2022; Americans top visitors

THE Department of Tourism (DoT) announced a surge in the arrival of visitors to the Philippines in 2022, reaching 2,653,858, compared to 163,879 in 2021 for an increase of 1,519.40 percent.

Tourists enjoy the waters of Boracay Island, a favorite destination, especially during a long holiday break. PHOTO BY BENEDICT ABAYGAR JR

Based on the 2022 Tourism Industry report presented on Wednesday, 56.49 percent of those who travelled to the country cited pleasure and vacation as their main reason for traveling to the Philippines; 25.46 percent visited friends and relatives; and 8.75 percent for business.

Americans topped the list of foreign visitors at 505, 089; South Korea came in second with 428, 014; and Australia with 137, 974.

With the surge of tourists in the country, employment in tourism industries also increased by 9.3 percent with 5.3 million individuals being employed in 2022, as presented by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). This number is higher compared to 4.9 million individuals employed in 2021.

” Data, numbers and facts are inconvertible. They speak for themselves. All of these numbers have not come to us by chance. They are the result of the tireless work, service and sacrifice of all of those in the Department of Tourism and its partners across the Philippines,”Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said on Wednesday.