Metro Manila, Philippines – French tourist arrivals in the Philippines have reached 100,000, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, while demand among Filipinos for visas to France has also increased, according to French Ambassador Marie Fontanel.
In an interview with NewsWatch Plus, Fontanel said French visitors are a third higher than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The ambassador is ending her tour of duty in the country.
“I was really impressed to see that we have reached 100,000 French tourists coming to the Philippines and it’s 33% more today than before COVID,” Fontanel said.
She clarified that while the comparative year was 2019, French arrivals substantially increased poast-pandemic..
“Between 2022 and 2025, it’s times four, the number of visitors,” she said. “We are way more today, 33 percent more than in 2019.”
Fontanel attributed the increase partly to stronger air connectivity between the two countries following the resumption of direct flights between Manila and Paris.
The ambassador said she was proud to have helped facilitate the return of the direct Air France service two years ago, describing it as the only direct European flight from the Philippines at the time.
Fontanel said the country’s destinations and Filipino hospitality are among the factors drawing French visitors.
She noted the growing interest in destinations such as Siargao, saying she recently watched a French television documentary featuring the island and French travelers.
“There is a boom, a boost for tourism in the Philippines. So I can really understand why my compatriots want to discover your beautiful country,” Fontanel said.
Filipino demand for French visas
Travel is also increasing in the other direction, with the French embassy seeing strong demand from Filipinos seeking visas.
Fontanel said French visa offices in Manila and Cebu have received 35,000 visa applications, although she did not specify the period covered by the figure.
“The visa section has a lot of work, and has had a lot of work over the last few years. 35,000 requests for visas that we receive here in Manila or Cebu,” she said.
France now operates two visa processing centers in the Philippines, one in Manila and another in Cebu.
The ambassador said the growth in travel in both directions reflects stronger people-to-people relations between France and the Philippines.
“And so that shows that there is a strong reciprocal will to know each other and to do more with one another,” she said.
