Philippines tourist spike
The Philippines just cleared 1.25 million foreign arrivals in Jan–Feb 2026 — a 3.4% year‑over‑year jump — driven by beach and island demand across Boracay and other hotspots. — Philippine Airlines’ jet‑fuel assurances helped stabilize bookings as international markets reopen to adventure travel. (travelandtourworld.com) (thetraveler.org)
The Department of Tourism’s breakdown shows 1,205,013 foreign visitor arrivals in January–February 2026 and 1,289,521 total arrivals when returning overseas Filipinos are included. (asgam.com) South Korea remained the largest source market with 319,375 arrivals but that represented an 8.15% decline from the same period in 2025. (asgam.com) Mainland China slid 19.39% to 40,802 arrivals while the United States (267,287, up 3.41%), Japan (80,042, up 7.06%), Canada (70,038, up 14.14%) and Australia (64,485, up 11.55%) supplied the gains that produced the overall increase. (asgam.com) Boracay reported 213,281 visitors in January (159,415 domestic; 47,276 international) and 188,479 visitors in February, giving the island a combined 401,760 visitors for Jan–Feb 2026. (imtnews.ph) Philippine Airlines said on March 25 it has secured sufficient jet fuel “for the foreseeable future” to support scheduled operations, a reassurance the carrier and multiple outlets said helped steady bookings amid regional fuel worries. (pna.gov.ph) The DOT reported tourism earnings of roughly PHP694 billion and about 6.5 million inbound visitors in 2025, and the agency has signalled plans to step up marketing in South Korea to recover lost arrivals in 2026. (pna.gov.ph)
