Philippine tourism revenues surpass pre-pandemic levels in January

The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) reported on Thursday, sixth March, that the nation earned US$1.1 billion in tourism revenues in January 2025.

The quantity exceeds levels earned previous to 2020, the yr the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe.

As of twenty eighth February, the nation earned considerably from numerous merchandise and actions associated to tourism, the whole being greater by 136.1 p.c than the whole seen in January 2019.

Tourism secretary Christina Frasco remarked: “The recovery of Philippine tourism from the period of the pandemic in terms of revenues translates to thousands of jobs created for Filipinos, providing livelihood opportunities for many, especially in our rural and underserved areas.”

Key findings

The Philippines’ tourism earnings grew by 71.4 p.c, in comparison with the US$652.3 million recorded in January of final yr.

Tourism income in Philippine pesos surged by 78.81 p.c from the PHP36.5 billion recorded in January 2024.

Frasco added that the nation’s tourism sector achieved an all-time excessive tourism income of roughly PHP760 billion in 2024.

As of 1st March, a complete of 1,167,908 international vacationers have already visited the nation in the primary two months of this yr.

Around 25.31 p.c of international arrivals got here from South Korea which has been the nation’s prime tourism supply market since 2023.

The United States got here in second with 229,836 vacationers; Japan in third with 83,208; Canada in fourth with 65,145; and Australia in fifth with 61,564.