South Korea remains the Philippines’ top source of foreign tourists, with arrivals expected to continue surging in the coming years, it was learned recently.
“We look forward to a very large number of South Korean tourists arriving in the Philippines in 2025,” Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo, vice chairperson of the House committee on tourism, said in a recent press release.
“In fact, it is highly likely that in 2025, the number of South Korean visitors to the Philippines will surpass the pre-pandemic level of almost two million,” Rillo added, expressing optimism about the Philippine tourism sector’s robust recovery.
From January to November 2024, 1,435,571 South Koreans visited the Philippines—a 10.45% increase from 1,299,697 during the same period in 2023, according to Department of Tourism (DOT) data. South Koreans comprised 29.18% of all foreign tourists arriving in the Philippines during this period, reinforcing their status as the country’s largest market for international visitors.
“Our sense is that South Koreans will continue to visit the Philippines in droves as long as they find it economically attractive to spend their holidays here,” Rillo said.
The Philippines welcomed a total of 4,918,418 foreign tourists from January to November 2024, marking a 9.56% increase compared to the same period last year. This upward trend is expected to sustain momentum, with Fitch Solutions company BMI projecting foreign tourist arrivals in the country to grow annually and reach 9.7 million by 2028.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea contributed 1,989,322 visitors in 2019. With arrivals now rapidly recovering, the tourism sector is poised to create more employment opportunities in accommodation, transportation, food and beverage services, entertainment, and other related industries.
While South Korea briefly experienced martial law on December 3, 2024—declared and lifted within six hours—this is not expected to deter South Koreans’ enthusiasm for traveling to the Philippines.
