‘Bisita, Be My Guest’...

from the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. has consistently been on the top list of international travelers to the Philippines with about 500,000 arrivals in 2022.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco told reporters on the sidelines of the BBMG launch in Burbank on Saturday, April 22 that the current administration is optimistic that the U.S. market would continue to be one of the leading countries with the highest number of international arrivals to the Philippines.

“I am extremely delighted to know that the Philippines continues to be a top of line destination for our friends here in the United States. The United States has continued to be a very strong source market for us having been number one last year and number two (as of the first quarter of 2023) this year so we are very excited to welcome more of our Filipino and foreign friends to the Philippines,” Frasco said.

“Last year, it was the United States market that really sustained Philippine international tourism, having been number 1 and having garnered 500,000 international arrivals. As we have just closed out the first quarter, we have already received over 300,000 visitors from the United States,” she noted.

Frasco reiterated President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos’ call for all Filipinos (including those who live in the U.S.) around the globe to become Philippine tourism ambassadors.

“I’m here, together with our team from the Department of Tourism, carrying with us the love and warmth of the Filipino people as we champion Philippine tourism. We are here to invite our fellow Filipinos to become tourism ambassadors for the Philippines by inviting a foreign friend, guest or spouse to visit any of our beautiful islands in the country in exchange for prizes such as a house and lot, condominium units, free airline tickets and holiday packages and tours,” Frasco said, while explaining the mechanics of the BBMG program.

She described the various destinations that overseas Filipinos and foreigners alike can enjoy, such as Cebu, Palawan and Bohol, for its beaches and water activities like diving. For surfing, she recommended Siargao and La Union; the Cordilleras and Baguio for nature adventures.

“If you want to experience Filipino food, of course, we have the very delicious offerings of Pampanga, as well as in many other places where the delicacies are actually quite distinct regionally,” the secretary added.

“The Philippines is now the world’s leading beach destination and the world’s leading dive destination as well as Asia’s leading tourist attraction,” she added.

The tourism chief also called on Filipino Americans to be part of their endeavor in achieving a goal of a 100% turnaround of the country’s tourism industry by next year.

“The target for the Philippines last year was set at 1.7 million international arrivals but because of the strong interests that continue for the Philippines, we received over 2.65 million international arrivals therefore surpassing our targets. This year, overall by the end of 2023, PAGE 7