Manila: The Philippines has recorded 4.11 million foreign arrivals from January to August, higher by 3.7 percent compared to the same period last year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Tuesday. The United States posted the highest number of share at 818,318, followed by South Korea at 727,379, Japan at 350,191, China at 310,088, and Australia at 234,156.

According to Philippines News Agency, also making it in the top 10 source markets are Canada with 231,972, Taiwan with 154,957, the United Kingdom with 132,370, Singapore with 126,812, and India with 77,883. Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay stated that the Philippines targets to surpass its 2025 arrival figures to reach between 6.4 million and 6.8 million, or at least 7 million, by the end of 2026.

To achieve this, she mentioned that the DOT is intensifying its branding and promotions to reach more tourists in its key source markets. The DOT is also in active talks with airlines to open up and establish more chartered flights between the Philippines and secondary cities of Korea and China.

DOT Assistant Secretary Ren Sapitan added that the agency is set to sign a contract with a creative agency in November to broaden the country's marketing efforts and make the Philippines more visible worldwide. "We are not changing the Love the Philippines slogan. We are refreshing the campaign approach. So, we will make it more fun, more joyful," he said.

In 2025, the Philippines registered 6.4 million foreign visitors and returning overseas Filipinos and generated an estimated PHP694 billion in tourism receipts.