TOURIST arrivals in the country have steadily increased amid the lean season for tourism, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported.
“For April last year, it was 1,337, now it is 1,358. May also increased from 1,299 to 1,309. So, this June, the number of travelers is also increasing,” BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing on June 5.
“We consider this to be a bit of a lean season because the long holidays are over,” she said, noting that people travel less during this time due to the onset of the rainy season.
Sandoval said they expect tourist arrivals to plateau in the third quarter of the year but suddenly surge in the fourth quarter.
“That’s our usual trend and we are monitoring them. So far it’s increasing. Our data is good,” she added.
Sandoval also reported that based on BI data, South Korea remains the country’s top source of foreign travelers, followed by the United States, Canada, Japan, and China.
“Every year, they are almost the same as the top foreign nationals that we see entering our country,” she said.
BI, she said, continues to find ways to improve its processes and systems in compliance with the President’s directive to the agency. (PNA)
