More than 2 million foreign tourists visit the Philippines since Jan.-Xinhua

Tourists are seen on a beach in Aurora province, Philippines on April 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Roule Umali)

MANILA, April 26 (Xinhua) — More than 2 million international tourists have arrived in the Philippines since January this year, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Thursday.

Citing data from the Department of Tourism (DOT), the PCO reported that 2,010,522 international visitors entered the Southeast Asian country from January 1 to April 24.

Tourism receipts reached 157.62 billion pesos (US$2.73 billion) in the first quarter, data showed.

Of the total international visitors, the PCO said 94.21 percent or 1,894,076 were foreign tourists, while 5.79 percent or 116,446 were overseas Filipinos.

The PCO added that the number of international arrivals recorded this year was 15.11 percent higher than the 1,746,630 recorded during the same period in 2023.

South Korea was the top market for the Philippines with 27.19 percent or 546,726 visitors, followed by the United States with 315,816 or 15.71 percent, and China with 130,574 or 6.49 percent.

The Philippines aims to welcome 7.7 million international visitors this year.

By 2023, more than 5 million international visitors will enter the country. ■