Philippines Tourism Dips 2.8% as South Korea and China Arrivals Decline

The Philippine tourism rebound is showing signs of fragility, with foreign visitor arrivals falling by 2.8% between January and July 2025 compared to the same period last year. While overseas Filipinos returning home increased by 15.7%—reaching 320,986 deplanements—the total number of visitors from abroad dropped to 3,185,370 from a broader 3,506,356 total entries. The dip, though modest in percentage, highlights persistent challenges in attracting key international markets.

At the heart of the decline were significant reductions from two historically vital markets: South Korea and China. South Korean arrivals plummeted 18.6% to 759,009 visitors, yet South Korea remained the Philippines’ largest source of tourists. Meanwhile, Chinese tourism declined even more sharply—falling by 27.6% to just 159,140 visitors—dropping China to the fifth spot among source countries. The reductions from these countries likely reflect lingering travel hesitancies, safety perceptions, and possibly geopolitical uncertainty influencing travelers’ decisions.

Despite these setbacks, other markets offered glimmers of hope. Visitor figures from the United States rose 8.8% to 631,384 arrivals, while Japan and Australia surged by 18.8% and 18.8%, respectively—totaling 253,963 and 178,236 visitors. These increases underscore emerging opportunities to deepen engagement with Western and regional markets. As the Philippines seeks to meet its ambitious tourism targets—such as the projected 8.4 million foreign arrivals by year-end—leveraging these growing markets will be key to offsetting declines from its traditional pillars.