THE Department of Tourism (DoT) said international arrivals were just under 4 million as of Sept. 1.
“The country welcomed a little under 4 million as of Sept. 1,” DoT Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina G. Frasco told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of a House budget hearing on Tuesday.
The 4 million mark is equivalent to 67% of the 5.95 millioninternational tourist arrivals recorded last year.
In the first eight months, Ms. Frasco said 880,000 arrivals were from South Korea, a source market which she described as declining, but added that the declining Korean market is affecting many destinations.
“While we understand the concerns pertaining to the decline, we wish to highlight that the decline is not isolated to the Philippines,” she said.
She noted the 17% decline in South Korean arrivals to Thailand, 7% to Cambodia, and 2% to both Singapore and Vietnam.
“The trend of reduced Korean arrivals is not isolated to the Philippines but is spread out across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),” she added.
When asked how the department is addressing issues related to the safety of Korean nationals, she said that the department is working with the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to request a greater police presence.
“I understand that the result of these discussions has been that the PNP has deployed an increased number of police specific to the National Capital Region and the areas where the crimes have transpired,” she added.
The DoT has also proposed to Malacañang a plan to form a national task force on tourist safety.
“We are also currently working with the Korean Embassy and the Korean community to express (our readiness) to collaborate and ensure that we give priority to the safety of our guests, including tourists,” she said.
“That being said, we have trained and continue to train tourist police across our destinations, with over 8,000 tourist police having already been trained by the DoT under our Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection program,” she added.
Under the National Expenditure Program for 2026, the DoT and agencies under its umbrella have been allocated funding of P3.718 billion.
During the DoT’s budget hearing, legislators expressed support for more funding, noting the industry’s 8.9% contribution to the economy last year, valued at P3.86 trillion.
The DoT has also highlighted growing domestic tourism, which is projected to generate $70 billion this year, after a contribution of about $63.4 billion a year earlier.
“We welcome the manifestations made by our members of Congress to support the DoT programs and initiatives, because tourism is the best investment for our economy and for our people. It employs millions,” Ms. Frasco said.
“We are very pleased that the House of Representatives has received our proposals for budget allocations quite positively and has voiced their support for the necessity of ensuring sufficient funding for the Department of Tourism,” she added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile