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Philippine foreign tourist arrivals up by 10.9 pct in 2015

Xinhua, March 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Foreign tourist arrivals in the Philippines rose by 10.9 percent to 5.36 million in 2015, the Department of Tourism said Friday.

The strong performance of the industry may be attributed to the aggressive branding and promotional activities launched in key and emerging markets, said the department's secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.

The government declared last year as the Visit the Philippines Year. The Philippines also hosted major international events such as the visit of Pope Francis, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2015 meetings, Madrid Fusion Manila, Iron Man challenge, among many others.

"For 2015, tourism employment is estimated at 4.99 million with a share of 12.7 percent to national employment, already representing 4.8 percent growth from 2014," Jimenez said.

South Korea was the biggest source market last year, providing 1.34 million visitors, followed by the United States with 779,217 visitors. Japan claimed the third spot, providing 495,662 visitors, then China, contributing 490,841 visitors, and Australia, with 241,187 arrivals.

For 2015, the international visitor receipts also increased to 227.62 billion pesos (4.86 billion U.S. dollars), 5.92 percent higher than the 214.88 billion-pesos earnings in 2014. Endit