DoT targets more than 6.4 million tourist arrivals by 2026

The Department of Tourism (DoT) said on Tuesday that it aims to achieve more than 6.4 million tourist arrivals in 2026, surpassing the record of foreign visitors and returning overseas Filipinos from the previous year.

“If you take a look at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) data for 2025, we have reached 6.4 million, so that is the minimum amount,” Tourism Secretary Esperanza Christina G. Frasco told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of an event.

“We’re hoping that we can get even more than 6.4 million by 2026,” she added.

Data from the bureau showed that the Philippines recorded 5,940,975 foreign visitor arrivals in 2025. However, the De3partment of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) eTravel System reported 5,865,319 recorded tourists.

The DoT noted that the disparity between the two figures was linked to cruise passengers and visitor categories not consistently or fully captured in eTravel.

“When combined with 543,085 returning Overseas Filipinos, total foreign visitor arrivals reached 6,484,060 in 2025,” the department said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the preliminary international visitor spending for 2025 was estimated at P694 billion based on BI-recorded arrivals.

According to Ms. Frasco, the department is looking forward to the positive impacts of the eased visa policy for Chinese citizens on the tourism sector this year.

“As of now, over 150 countries are visa-free coming into the Philippines,” she said. “Certainly, the visa-free travel for China is a good boost to our tourism prospects for 2026.”

Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) unveiled a new visa-free entry privilege for Chinese nationals visiting the Philippines for tourism and business purposes, effective for up to 14 days.

China accounted for 262,144 tourist arrivals in 2025, ranking as the sixth source of tourists behind South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, and Canada.

MUSLIM-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATIONS
The DoT also underscored that it aims to attract more foreign visitors to the country this year through its Halal and Muslim-friendly tourism program.

“This will help our fellow Filipinos because it will bring more tourists from the Muslim-majority countries because of this initiative,” Ms. Frasco told reporters.

Robinsons Hotels and Resorts is among the Muslim-Friendly Accommodation Establishments (MFAE) acknowledged by the agency.

“DoT was not just a verbal commitment…It’s a very robust framework that was provided to us,” said Barun Jolly, senior vice-president and business unit general manager of Robinsons Hotels and Resorts.

“We really know what to execute, how to execute, and then how to keep that promise,” he added.

Mr. Jolly noted that the Muslim-friendly offerings of Robinsons extend beyond facilities like a prayer room, but also through their service and food.

“I think this is something which will not just get us a higher number of travelers, but travelers with a much higher spend per person,” he said. “We’ve seen Middle Eastern travelers tend to spend a lot more per head.”

As of Tuesday, there are 51 DoT-recognized Muslim-friendly accommodations nationwide. “We have been working with our other partners in the private sector as well to roll out this program,” said Ms. Frasco. — Almira Louise S. Martinez