CURRENT TRENDS IN PHILIPPINES TOURISM

Tourism makes an important part to the economy of the country. The growth of the
economy had been into a major change since the end of the People Power Revolution up until
to the present time because of the Tourism growth.
In 2000, the Philippines' tourist arrivals totaled 2.2 million. In 2003, it totaled
2,838,000, a growth of almost 29%, and was expected to grow as much as 3.4 million in
2007. In the first quarter of 2007, the tourist arrival in the Philippines grew as much as 20%
in same period last year. In 2011, the Department of Tourism recorded 3.9 million tourists
visiting the country, 11.2 percent higher than the 3.5 million registered in 2010.
The tourism industry employed 3.8 million Filipinos, or 10.2 per cent of national
employment in 2011, according to data gathered by the National Statistical Coordination
Board. In a greater thrust by the Aquino administration to pump billion to employ 7.4 million
people by 2016, or about 18.8 per cent of the total workforce, contributing 8 per cent to 9 per
cent to the nation's GDP.
In 2014, the tourism sector contributed 1.4 trillion pesos to the country's economy. As
of 2015, 4.99 million Filipinos have been employed in the tourism sector.

INTERNATIONAL TRENDS
Tourism is an important sector for the Philippine economy. In 2015, the travel and
tourism industry contributed 10.6% to the country's GDP.
Philippines is an archipelagic country composed of 7,107 islands with 82 provinces
divided in 18 regions. Philippines is known for having its rich biodiversity and it is the main
tourist attraction in the country. Its beaches, mountains, rainforests, islands and diving spots
are among the country's most popular tourist destinations. The country's rich historical and
cultural heritage is also one of the attractions of the Philippines.
Popular destinations among tourists are El Nido in Palawan, Boracay, Cebu, Manila
and many more.
Since 2010, South Korea has been the largest source of visitors to the Philippines. In
2013, a total of 1.17 million South Koreans visited the Philippines. It is followed by the
United States, Japan, China, Australia, Taiwan, and Canada. In 2013, the country attracted
4,681,307 visitors.
In 2014, the Department of Tourism announced that the year 2015 will be the Visit
the Philippines year. The government collected P227.62 billion pesos from the foreign
tourists in 2015. In 2015, the country attracted 5,360,682 foreign visitors.

DOMESTIC TRENDS
The 2009 Household Survey on Domestic Visitors (HSDV) conducted by the National
Statistics Office and Department of Tourism showed a total of 22.8 million Filipinos 15 years
old and over who traveled for any purpose within the country during the period April 1 to
September 30, 2009. This is about 36.9 percent of 61.7 million Filipinos aged 15 years old
and over. On the average, each traveler made two trips and visited two places in the country
during the reference period.
Of the 22.8 million domestic travelers during the past six months, 52.4 percent were
females while 47.6 percent were males. Travel pattern among household members 15 years
old and over tends to decrease with age. From a proportion of 26.4 percent among 15 to 24
years old, the percent of travelers declined to 4.7 percent for older age group 65 years old and
over .
Domestic travelers either availed of package tour or traveled independently during
their most recent trip. Of the total 7.8 million domestic travelers whose main purpose of trip
is for pleasure or vacation, majority (7.7 million) were independent travelers while the rest
(80 thousand) availed of a package tour. The average expenditure of independent travelers
was Php 1,818 while the average expenditure of those who availed of a package tour was Php
17,981.
Less than half (45.8%) of the domestic travelers who traveled for pleasure or vacation
stayed overnight in their places of destination in which most of them (40.8%) stayed for 2 to
3 nights in the places visited. On the average, 8 nights were spent by a domestic traveler
whose main purpose of trip is for pleasure or vacation in the place visited.
The National Capital Region (NCR) was the most frequently visited place by
domestic travelers whose main purpose of trip is for pleasure or vacation during the period
April 1 to September 30, 2009 with a total of 3.1 million visits. The other frequently visited
provinces were those near NCR. Except for Cebu and Lanao del Sur, the other top provinces
were all in Luzon (Table 6).
The long holiday weekends during Holy Week was the most traveled period of
domestic travelers whose main purpose of trip is for pleasure or vacation with around 782
thousand. Of this number, more than half (53.8%) of Holy Week travelers stayed overnight.
Next to Holy Week as the most traveled holiday weekend of domestic travelers was Labor
Day with 459 thousand travelers. More than half (54.8%) of travelers during Labor Day were
day visitors. Following Labor Day as the most traveled period was End of Ramadan with 293
thousand travelers. Majority (69.9%) of travelers during End of Ramadan were day visitors.

The new slogan for the Philippines was unveiled by the Department of Tourism: Its more
fun in the Philippines! -- a tag line that hopes to attract more tourists to visit the country.
The Philippines' travel and tourism sector performed well during the historic period (20102014), with growth recorded in both domestic and international tourist volumes. The main factor for
growth in international tourist inflow was the Department of Tourism's (DoT) continuous efforts to
promote the Philippines as a key tourist destination in the Asia-Pacific region.