Cebu, Philippines – Tourism officials expect visitor arrivals from China with the visa-free entry for short stays, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said, citing sustained demand despite years of travel constraints.
Frasco said interest from the Chinese market remained strong even as arrivals fell due to visa disruptions and limited air connectivity.
“From the data that we have received, both in terms of arrivals and the demand felt on the ground, the demand for the Philippines from the Chinese market has never waned,” Frasco said, referring to information from tourism offices in Beijing and Shanghai.
The Department of Foreign Affairs recently announced that Chinese nationals may enter visa-free for up to 14 days for tourism or business. Frasco said the change removes a major barrier that had slowed recovery.
“Only the access to the Philippines has been quite challenged,” she said, pointing to the earlier suspension of the Philippine e-visa system for Chinese travelers.
With visa-free entry now in place, Frasco said authorities are seeing renewed travel activity.
“Now that there is visa-free access from China to the Philippines, we are seeing continuous flows,” she said, adding that officials are hopeful arrivals will continue to improve.
Frasco said the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board continued promoting the Philippines in China even during periods of restricted access.
“We did not stop our promotions of the Philippines in China,” she said.
She also cited limited flight capacity as a lingering challenge, noting that air links between China and the Philippines remain well below pre-pandemic levels.
“Less than 50% of flights have recovered,” Frasco said, adding that the tourism department is working with the Department of Transportation and the aviation industry to restore routes and seat capacity.
Before the pandemic, China was among the country’s largest sources of foreign visitors. In 2019, Chinese visitors to the country reached almost two million but in 2024 the number dwindled to around 300,000.
