Quezon City 4th district Rep. Marvin Rillo (Rep. Rillo's office)
Philippine tourism is bouncing back strong from the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Quezon City 4th district Rep. Marvin Rillo. In a statement Friday, July 14, Rillo, a vice chairperson of the House Committee on Tourism, noted that a total of 2,470,798 foreign travelers visited the Philippines in the first six months of 2023. “There’s no question that our tourism sector is on the road to a strong recovery, and that this upturn is helping to drive jobs creation,” said the rookie lawmaker. Based on employment figures released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier this month, Rillo pointed out that “accommodation and food service activities” alone gained 398,000 jobs as of May 2023 compared to a year ago. Citing Department of Tourism (DOT) figures, Rillo said the top 10 foreign visitor arrivals in the first semester by nationality were: South Koreans, with 673,841 visitors (24.94 percent); Americans, 516,318 (19.11 percent); Australians, 129,705 (4.80 percent); Japanese, 128,081 (4.74 percent); Canadians, 124,510 (4.61 percent); Chinese, 114,663 (4.24 percent); Britons, 87,376 (3.23 percent); Taiwanese, 86,134 (3.19 percent); Malaysians, 52,604 (1.95 percent); and Singaporeans, 49,623 (1.84 percent). Rillo, meanwhile, welcomed France’s plan to launch direct flights from Paris to Manila, saying it would encourage a greater number of French nationals to visit the Philippines. A total of 36,054 French nationals arrived in the Philippines during the first six months of 2023.