Mabuhay, Oppas! South Koreans Are The Philippines' Top Tourists

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The Philippines has always been a country with beautiful scenery, a rich culture, and exciting cuisines to try. This 2024, tourists seemed to have been appreciating all of those.

On July 11, 2024, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported that they expect to earn P282.17-billion expected tourism earnings from overseas tourists from January 1 to June 30, 2024. It was a whopping 32.81% increase from tourism data last year.

As of July 10, the tourism department confirmed a total of 3,173,684 inbound tourists. 92.55% of them are foreigners. Among those foreign tourists, South Korea tops the list of foreign nationalities experiencing Philippine tourism—and this isn't the first time.

The Philippines' Tourists Are Mostly South Koreans

South Korea has been the Philippines' top market for tourism since 2022. The DOT once reasoned that the proximity of the Philippines to South Korea, matched with affordable flights, and cost-effective accommodations and services might be some of the factors for the continued interest from South Koreans. Well, it seems that it's not only our favorite oppas who find it lovely coming back to our country.

In figures, the Philippines logged 824,798 South Korean individuals who entered the country as tourists in 2024 alone. Here are the other list of nations noted by the DOT:

• South Korea: 824,798 tourists
• United States of America: 522, 667 tourists
• China: 199,939 tourists
• Japan: 188,805 tourists
• Australia: 137,391 tourists

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DOT chief, Secretary Christina Frasco, underscored the Department's goal of further increasing tourism numbers in the country as the year progresses. She also highlighted projects that would elevate the tourist experience in the Philippines.

"Many projects aimed at improving the country's connectivity and enhancing our visitors' convenience are also in the pipeline to sustain the good work we have started," she noted.