Foreign tourist arrivals hit a record 7.12 million in 2018, up 7.6 percent from 6.62 million in 2017, despite the six-month closure of popular Boracay Island.
The government, however, missed the target to attract at least 7.4 million foreign tourists last year as the Boracay closure capped visitor arrivals.
“The challenging act of closing down Boracay—a flagship destination—has evidently become a blessing in disguise for secondary tourism spots to have a share of the limelight and attention they truly deserve,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
“It shows that turning off the faucet when the water is unclear can bring a fresher flow in just an unexpected period of time,” she added.
Siargao, Iloilo, Palawan, La Union, Romblon and Siquijor were some of the sites frequented by tourists while Boracay was resolving its environmental issues.
South Korea was still the top tourist market for the Philippines with 1.58 million arrivals, followed by China with 1.25 million.
In third place was the US with 1.03 million, followed by Japan with 631,801 and Australia with 279,821 visitors.
The department said it was bullish in developing “high-value tourism” to attract environmentally-aware travelers and sustain the environment at the same time.
“We are now in a time in need of vigilance—a dedication to the principle of a sustainable and inclusive tourism industry,” she said.
Boracay officially reopened for business on Oct. 26, with limits on the number of tourists visiting the island to 19,000 per day.
In 2017, around 6.6 million foreign tourists visited the Philippines.
“Although [the number of tourist arrivals] is increasing, we have to admit that the closure of Boracay affected arrivals. It was a top tourist destination and it was closed for six months,” Puyat earlier said.
Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon noted around 500,000 potential foreign visitors dropped their plans of visiting the island resort during Boracay’s six-month closure.
“People have to understand that while we are able to divert some of the traffic to Cebu, Bohol, and Palawan there might be some who canceled… altogether,” Bengzon said.
President Rodrigo Duterte has stressed the importance of limiting the tourist destination’s carrying capacity.
“Not all Filipinos and all tourists can go to Boracay. It cannot accommodate everyone,” Duterte said earlier.
“If it’s a house, it would be similar to having just one comfort room for a thousand people,” he added.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has said Boracay’s carrying capacity for tourists would be limited to 19,215 a day. The figure includes 6,405 tourist arrivals a day.
Malacañang has urged the task force to maintain the island’s carrying capacity to assure its rehabilitation efforts would be sustained.