The number of tourists from China to the Philippines rose by 20 per cent last year despite a ban on offshore gaming operators (Pogos) and tense relations between the two countries over issues ranging from their maritime dispute to the arrests of Chinese nationals accused of spying in Palawan.
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Chinese arrivals rose to 500,082 last year from 417,128 in 2023, according to a report by Inquirer.net on Monday, citing data provided by Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado Joel Anthony.
In comparison, the Philippine tourism department reported last month a total of 313,856 Chinese arrivals last year, an increase from 264,922 in 2023.
According to BI, the Philippines welcomed 14.7 million international visitors last year, lower than the 17 million arrivals in 2019 before the pandemic.
In July last year, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr announced an immediate ban on Pogos operating in the country. The move was seen as a blow to the Philippine tourism industry as the once-booming Pogo industry catered mostly to visitors from China.
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Chinese military helicopter and Philippine patrol plane in close encounter over Scarborough Shoal
Chinese military helicopter and Philippine patrol plane in close encounter over Scarborough Shoal
Relations between the Philippines and China have soured over issues such as their long-standing South China Sea dispute, Manila’s deployment of the US Typhon missile system, and the arrests of Chinese nationals accused of espionage targeting the Philippine military.