MANILA, Philippines - The United States has become the Philippines’ top source market for international visitors, with 591,569 arrivals recorded as of June 17, 2026, the DOT revealed.
In her speech during the General Membership Luncheon Meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Makati City on Tuesday, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay reported that the Philippines welcomed 2,955,014 visitor arrivals from January 1 to June 16, 2026, representing a 6.16 percent increase from the same period last year.
“The United States has now become our number one source market, with more than half a million visitors and still growing. These numbers are indeed encouraging,” Secretary Angara-Mathay said.
“But what matters even more to us is not just how many people are arriving—it is what that translates into: more jobs, more investments, and more opportunities reaching communities across the country. That is really the direction of our work,” she added.
Photo courtesy of Department of Tourism (DOT)
To sustain this momentum, the DOT chief said the agency is pursuing initiatives aimed at improving connectivity, expanding tourism experiences, and encouraging greater private sector participation in tourism development.
“Tourism starts with access. If it is difficult to get to a destination, everything else becomes secondary. That is why we will work closely with the Department of Transportation, airlines, operators, and our industry partners to expand air connectivity across the country. Not just protecting existing routes, but actively opening new ones that bring travelers directly into our destinations,” Angara-Mathay stressed.
“To make this more systematic, we will convene regular Airline and Airport Connectivity discussions with carriers, airports, stakeholders, and government agencies. The goal is simple: solve bottlenecks together and turn plans into actual flights,” added the tourism chief.
Mathay-Angara also mentioned that the Tourism Department will push for advancing high-value tourism segments such as meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE), gastronomy, wellness, education, and retirement tourism.
“Once people can get here more easily, the next question is what kind of experience we offer them. And that brings me to high-value tourism. Our goal is not simply to bring in more visitors, but to make every visit more meaningful, longer stays, higher spending, and deeper engagement with our destinations and communities,” she said.
The tourism chief also highlighted the growing role of tourism in attracting investments across aviation, infrastructure, healthcare, technology, and regional development.
“We no longer see tourism simply as promotion. We see it as a platform for long-term investment. A clear example is our recent State Visit to Japan, where we DOT, encouraged DTI to engage major corporations, financial institutions, airlines, infrastructure developers, healthcare groups, and technology firms,” Angara-Mathay mentioned.
“The result: is around USD 3.4 billion in investments, pipeline opportunities, and financing support. This is the direction we are pursuing, tourism as a connector sector that brings together aviation, infrastructure, healthcare, and regional development”, said the Tourism Secretary.
Secretary Angara-Mathay also encouraged AmCham members to explore opportunities in tourism development beyond hotels and resorts, including airports, ports, digital infrastructure, wellness facilities, renewable energy projects, and other investments that support tourism destinations across the country.
