Philippines Targets 7.7 Million Tourists with Full E-Visa Implementation
PASAY CITY—The Department of Tourism (DOT) has urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to expedite the full implementation of the e-Visa system to achieve a target of 7.7 million tourists by the end of 2024, aiming to return to pre-pandemic tourism numbers.
According to Philippines News Agency, speaking at the 2024 post-State of the Nation Address discussions, the full and efficient implementation of the e-Visa system is crucial for increasing tourist arrivals, particularly from India, a major outbound travel market. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., in his third State of the Nation Address, highlighted the Philippine e-Visa as a key component of the administration’s digital transformation agenda, aiming to align the Philippines with neighboring countries that have adopted similar systems.
The focus on the Indian market comes as part of a broader strategy to compensate for the slower recovery in arrivals from China, which was the second-largest source market for tourists to the Philippines before the pandemic, following South Korea. In contrast to the 1.7 million Chinese tourists in 2019, only 263,834 visited last year. In response, Secretary Frasco emphasized the importance of targeting other key markets to boost tourism numbers.
Earlier directives from President Marcos in January and subsequent reviews initiated this month aim to streamline the e-Visa process, currently in beta testing for Indian nationals at the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi. While the full-scale implementation has been delayed, the potential boost in tourism from India could significantly contribute to achieving the 7.7 million tourist target set by the DOT.
Despite the ongoing challenges with inbound tourism numbers, Secretary Frasco noted that the country has surpassed pre-pandemic tourism revenue levels, with international tourism receipts in 2023 totaling more than PHP480 billion, an increase of 124 percent from the previous year. This recovery in revenue indicates robust growth in visitor spending, even as total visitor numbers have yet to fully rebound.