As the Department of Tourism marks World Tourism Day with a new industry strategy, it is shifting toward investment, connectivity, and higher visitor spending. The move builds on tourism generating ₱2.27 trillion in 2025 and supporting 7.70 million jobs nationwide.
From January to August 2026, visitor arrivals reached 4.11 million, up 3.7 percent from the same period a year earlier. Chinese arrivals climbed 69.15 percent to 310,088, showing one of the sharpest gains among the country’s emerging tourism markets this year.
Direct inbound international air seats reached 7.78 million through May 19, an 8.31 percent increase from the same 2025 period. An expanded Türkiye agreement will double Manila-Istanbul flights to 14 weekly and allow unlimited frequencies through Cebu, Clark, and Davao.
DOT is also developing investment-ready tourism projects, including potential Japanese partnerships for a specialty medical clinic and underserved-area telecom infrastructure. The agency plans to replicate this hands-on investment model in other priority markets to attract capital into destinations needing stronger services.
For 2027, about 70 percent of DOT’s marketing budget is planned for digital campaigns and media placements across priority source markets. Japan and South Korea will receive larger allocations, while the United States, Canada, Australia, ASEAN, and China remain major targets.
DOT is also preparing airports, venues, and tourism sites for the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila this November to showcase readiness. The broader strategy aims to turn tourism growth into stronger infrastructure, wider investment, better-paying opportunities, and more spending across local destinations.
