Philippines struggles to win back Chinese tourists as regional rivals surge

The Philippines is lagging behind its Southeast Asian peers in winning back Chinese tourists, with arrivals still only a fraction of pre-pandemic levels, according to new regional research.

Just over 312,000 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines in 2024, equivalent to about 18 per cent of 2019’s visitor numbers, the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (Amro) said in a publication released on Thursday.

Chinese visitors accounted for only 5 per cent of the country’s international tourist market, compared to over 21 per cent before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Among Asean peers, the Philippines has experienced the weakest recovery in Chinese arrivals,” Amro said.

Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore were the top three Southeast Asian destinations for Chinese tourists in 2024, drawing about 3.3 million, 3.7 million and just over 3 million visitors respectively.

  

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