“Beautiful mountains, beautiful beaches, strong dollar, these are three good reasons to visit the Philippines,” American tourist Doug Browser wrote on a Facebook group.
The Philippines received 2.9 million foreign arrivals in the first half of the year, with Americans accounting for over 591,500.
The growth reflects the Philippines’ ongoing efforts to deepen partnerships with U.S. travel companies and airlines, industry insiders said.
At the general membership meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines last month, Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said her ministry seeks to intensify the tourism and investment partnerships with the U.S., Philstar newspaper reported.
“We no longer see tourism simply as promotion; we see it as a platform for long-term investment.”
Foreign tourists walk along a beach in Boracay Island, the Philippines. Photo by AP |
The Philippine peso has remained weak against the greenback, trading at around ₱60.6 to the dollar as of June 2026.
The stronger bilateral diplomatic relations with the U.S. has been a contributing factor, Michael Ricafort, chief economist at the Philippines’ Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, told the South China Morning Post.
The number of South Koreans, once the largest group of foreign visitors, has fallen sharply in recent months following travel advisories calling for caution because of security concerns. The Philippines reported several shooting incidents against Korean tourists last year.
The Philippines received 5.6 million foreign visitors in 2025, almost the same as in 2024.
It eyes 6.7 million arrivals this year. If achieved, it would mark the country’s strongest performance since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Comments are closed.