Foreign tourist arrivals in the Philippines rose 13 percent to a record 542,258 in January this year from 479,149 year-on-year.
The Tourism Department said Friday the tourist arrivals breached the 500,000 mark in a month for the first time.
“At the rate that the industry is growing, tourism has proven that it is an important pillar in the country’s economic development. This rapid growth is allowing creation of decent jobs and livelihood for many Filipinos,” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said in a statement.
“For 2015, tourism employment was estimated at 4.99 million with a share of 12.7 percent to national employment, already representing 4.8 percent growth from 2014,” he said.
Tourism earnings reached P21.94 billion based on the activities engaged in by the visitors.
“More than the industry’s performance in terms of numbers, tourism has proven to be a successful means to spread the growth to various sectors, from the protection of the environment to the emergence of local businesses, the development of infrastructure, and the preservation of our cultural heritage,” said Jimenez.
Korea remained the top source of foreign tourists with 147,165, contributing 27.14 percent to the total volume.
US came in second with 84,506 with a 15.58 percent share, while China overtook Japan on the third spot with 48,708 or 8.98 percent.
Japan contributed 41,691 visitors, or 7.69 percent of the aggregate, with Australia at fifth, with 25,274 visitors or a 4.66-percent share.
Korea kept its rank as the highest spending market, contributing P6.21 billion, followed by the US with P4.26 billion. Japanese tourists were third with P1.64 billion.
Canada came in fourth with P1.18 billion while Australia ranked fifth with a contribution of P1.13 billion to total spending.
“The convergence projects with public and private sectors have significantly improved market access and connectivity, human resource development, product development, environmental protection and, safety and security,” said Jimenez.
“All these have contributed to keeping the fun promise and strengthening brand recall. We seek this continued synergy to break barriers, score records high and keep our tourism industry sustainable and inclusive,” said Jimenez.