PH Aims to Attract Nearly 5M Foreign Travelers in 2023

The Department of Tourism (DOT) aims to attract 5 million foreign visitors this year, according to Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco in a television interview on Thursday.

Frasco noted that around 2.6 million tourists visited the country last year, and the target for 2023 is to double that number to around a minimum of 4.8 million tourists.

This marks a significant increase from the target for international arrivals in 2022, which was set at 1.7 million.

Frasco added that the DOT far exceeded this target by almost a million arrivals, despite the country only reopening its borders in February 2022.

Moreover, the government implemented the “eTravel” system, the successor to the One Health Pass, to help the DOT achieve its goal of enticing more tourists in 2023.

The DOT and the Department of Transportation are also working on improving key transportation infrastructure such as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, the Cebu City Pier 1, and the Davao International Airport to further improve the country’s capability to accommodate travelers.

Meanwhile, DOT also launched projects such as the “Philippine Experience” and “Bisita Be My Guest,” intended to showcase the country’s culture and natural features to attract more tourists.

The government has also passed a measure seeking to amend the holiday economics law which creates opportunities for domestic tourism.

“Definitely, increasing the number of long weekends helps domestic tourism. Our President, Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr passed a proclamation recently to increase long weekends to nine and it also stoked a lot of interest and excitement among fellow Filipinos in terms of booking their trips for 2023,” Frasco said.

Under the measure, holidays that fall on a weekend would be moved to the nearest Monday. This move is similar to a law passed in 2007 by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo which moved regular and special holidays to the nearest Monday to boost domestic tourism. (GFB)