Travel and tourism contributed $91.8 billion to the Philippine economy, according to the 2025 World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Economic Impact Report (EIR), underscoring the sector’s growing role in national development.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) said the findings highlight tourism’s importance in driving economic growth and resilience. The report was formally presented by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) during a recent meeting of Southeast Asian tourism ministers in Cebu City.
Based on the WTTC report, tourism accounted for 19.9% of the Philippine economy, placing the country among the most tourism-significant economies in Southeast Asia.
The Philippines outperformed regional peers such as Indonesia ($71.7 billion), Thailand ($67.3 billion), and Singapore ($54.6 billion).
The sector also ranked among the region’s biggest job generators, supporting around 11.2 million jobs nationwide, or 23% of total employment—second only to Cambodia in Southeast Asia.
ADB Economist Sanchita Basu Das noted that tourism remains a key driver of economic growth and urged ASEAN member states to focus on increasing revenue per visitor under the bloc’s 2026–2030 action plan.
She cited that Southeast Asia’s average receipts per arrival reached $1,085 in 2024, still below North America, Central America, and Northern Europe.
In the Philippines, receipts per arrival stood at $1,631 as of September 2025, significantly higher than the $1,184 recorded in 2019. The ADB also proposed raising the share of intra-regional arrivals from 38% to 45% by 2030.
ASEAN recorded about 144 million international visitor arrivals last year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
At the close of the 2026 ASEAN Tourism Forum, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the Philippines is ready to capitalize on ASEAN’s push for stronger regional connectivity and more resilient tourism strategies.
“In Cebu, I was recently updated that there are already 13 new international routes, and several of these are actually from the ASEAN region. And the same can be seen in Manila in terms of the at least 23 international flights there,” she said.