The Philippines recorded just above 1.08 million foreign-tourist arrivals in the first two months of 2025, down 0.9 percent from a year earlier, according to data published this week by the nation’s Department of Tourism. Foreign tourists accounted for 92.8 percent of aggregate arrivals, which include people classified as overseas Filipinos.
In aggregate terms, the country recorded just under 1.17 million arrivals in the two months to February 28, including 84,506 entries by overseas Filipinos. The latter segment – referring to Philippine passport holders permanently living abroad – was up 33.1 percent from a year earlier.
The Philippines is one of the few jurisdictions in Asia to have an extensive casino industry with unrestricted access for locals, as well as foreigners.
In terms of foreign tourists, South Korea was the Philippines’ top source market, with 294,652 arrivals in the January and February period, accounting for 25.2 percent of all arrivals. The tally from that market was down 10.6 percent from the prior-year period.
The second-biggest source market for foreign tourists to the Philippines in the reporting period was the United States, with 206,848 arrivals, about 17.7 percent of all arrivals. The number of arrivals was up 11.6 percent from a year earlier, showed the data.
Japan rounded out the top three source markets, providing 75,245 arrivals, about 6.4 percent of all visitors. The figure was up 11.6 percent year-on-year.
China provided about 53,250 visitors in the first two months of 2025, representing nearly 4.6 percent of all arrivals. The figure fell by 35.3 percent from a year ago.
The Philippines received circa 5.44 million foreign tourists in full-year 2024, up 8.7 percent from a year earlier. The figure fell short of the 7.7-million target for 2024 that had been set by the local authorities.
