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SCMP’s Asia desk

The Philippines is lagging behind its Southeast Asian peers in winning back Chinese tourists, with arrivals still only a fraction of pre-pandemic levels, according to new regional research.
Just over 312,000 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines in 2024, equivalent to about 18 per cent of 2019’s visitor numbers, the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (Amro) said in a publication released on Thursday.
Chinese visitors accounted for only 5 per cent of the country’s international tourist market, compared to over 21 per cent before the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Among Asean peers, the Philippines has experienced the weakest recovery in Chinese arrivals,” Amro said.


Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore were the top three Southeast Asian destinations for Chinese tourists in 2024, drawing about 3.3 million, 3.7 million and just over 3 million visitors respectively.
The drop in the Chinese market reflected an overall slump in the Philippines’ tourism figures. Foreign arrivals totalled 5.9 million last year, about 28 per cent below pre-pandemic peaks, according to Amro.
Even before Covid-19, the Philippines lagged behind regional competitors in attracting visitors. In 2019, it recorded 8.2 million foreign arrivals, compared with Thailand’s 40 million, Malaysia’s 26 million and Indonesia’s 16 million.
More recent figures suggest further pressure this year.
Data released by the Philippines Department of Tourism on Tuesday showed total arrivals had fallen 2.16 per cent in the first 11 months of 2025.
Arrivals from China dropped by 16.55 per cent year-on-year to 248,339 as of the end of November.
“Slower economic growth in China, which is the world’s second-biggest economy, on top of territorial disputes partly weighed on foreign tourism numbers,” Rizal Commercial Banking Chief Economist Michael Ricafort said, as quoted by BusinessWorld.
He was, however, optimistic that the country could surpass last year’s tourist arrivals, which reached 5.949 million.
“It is still possible, considering some seasonal increase in foreign tourists during the Christmas holiday season, especially overseas Filipino workers, to spend the most festive time of the year, while others escape winter,” he said.
According to Amro, most foreign tourists also gravitate towards just a few locations. The areas around Manila and Central Visayas, home to the tourism hotspot Cebu, account for over 60 per cent of total tourist overnight stays as many promising sites remain underdeveloped or unreachable.
The firm urged the government to pursue a “strategic, long-term expansion and diversification of the tourism footprint” by addressing infrastructure and capacity constraints.
To attract more tourists, it suggested improving transport connectivity, upgrading basic utilities like water and sanitation, and investing in better digital readiness and visitor facilities.
Amro noted that one positive step towards attracting more Chinese tourists was the resumption in November of an e-visa programme allowing Chinese nationals to stay in the Philippines for up to 14 days. However, tensions in the South China Sea may continue to affect the country’s appeal to Chinese travellers.

In an editorial, the state-run People’s Daily said that the Philippines should show more “sincerity” to woo Chinese tourists.
“The tourism market in Southeast Asia is highly competitive. While countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have established high-quality maritime tourism systems, the Philippines is frequently overshadowed by negative headlines, including ‘China warning against the Philippines’ provocations in South China Sea’, ‘Chinese student kidnapped in Philippines’ and ‘Philippine mayor accused of trafficking and spying for China’,” its online editors wrote on October 23.
“In such an unfriendly and insecure environment, how can Chinese tourists feel safe? Who would willingly choose to spend their travel budget in a country that exhibits such hostility towards China?”


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New data shows Chinese arrivals to the Philippines hit 312,000 last year, only 18 per cent of pre-pandemic levels


New data shows Chinese arrivals to the Philippines hit 312,000 last year, only 18 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.


Philippines struggles to win back Chinese tourists as regional rivals surge

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}New data shows Chinese arrivals to the Philippines hit 312,000 last year, only 18 per cent of pre-pandemic levels

New data shows Chinese arrivals to the Philippines hit 312,000 last year, only 18 per cent of pre-pandemic levels