The Philippines welcomed 4.11 million international tourists in the first eight months of this year, with Taiwan ranking 7th

(Central News Agency reporter Lin Xingjian, Manila, 4th) Data from the Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT) shows that from January to August this year, it welcomed a total of 4.11 million international tourists, an increase of 3.7% over the same period last year; the United States is the Philippines’ largest source market of tourists, and Taiwan ranks seventh with 154,957 tourists.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, in the first eight months of this year, there were 818,318 tourists from the United States, followed by South Korea with 727,379 visitors, and Japan with 350,191 visitors.

During this period, the other top 10 tourist source markets in the Philippines were: China with 310,888 visitors, Australia with 234,156 visitors, Canada with 231,972 visitors, Taiwan with 154,957 visitors, the United Kingdom with 132,370 visitors, Singapore with 126,812 visitors, and India with 77,883 visitors.

Compared with the same period last year, the source of international tourists had the largest growth rate, reaching 69.15%; followed by India, 32.20%; the largest shrinkage was South Korea, with a decrease of 17.42%.

In the first eight months of this year, there were 154,957 Taiwanese tourists. In the first eight months of last year, there were 141,346 Taiwanese tourists, an increase of 9.63% compared with the same period last year. Tourism industry players believe that the Philippines' extension of 14-day visa-free treatment for Taiwanese tourists may be one of the driving factors.

The Philippines will welcome 6.44 million international tourists and returned Filipinos in 2025, with tourism revenue estimated to reach 694 billion pesos (approximately NT$352.6 billion). The Philippines Tourism Department hopes that this number will exceed 7 million this year.

To achieve this goal, the Philippine Department of Tourism is strengthening brand management, expanding visa-free benefits, and negotiating the development of charter flights or direct flights as well as foreign promotional activities.

In addition, the Philippine Department of Tourism signed a memorandum of cooperation with a well-known resort operator on the 1st to integrate live performances, cultural performances, food and other leisure experiences into tourism development, hoping to allow tourists to extend their stay, increase consumption and increase their willingness to visit again.

Philippines Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said that entertainment has become an important incentive for tourists to choose to visit and return to a destination. This cooperation will also showcase the talents and creativity of Filipinos and provide more development opportunities for creative industries such as performance teams.