Palace hails all-time high foreign tourist arrivals

“We are pleased to announce that foreign tourists continue to discover that it’s more fun in the Philippines,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace media briefing. (YANCY LIM/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

MANILA — Malacañang on Tuesday expressed elation over the all-time high foreign tourist arrivals recorded from January to June this year.

“We are pleased to announce that foreign tourists continue to discover that it’s more fun in the Philippines,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace media briefing.

According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), foreign tourist arrivals during the first half of the year had reached 3,706,721, or 10.

40 percent higher compared to the 3,357,591 arrivals during the same period in 2017.

Roque also said that the month of June alone marks an 11.35 percent increase to 528,477 arrivals from 474,854 arrivals in June last year.

Meanwhile, Roque announced the significant achievements of 51 out of 77 Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), whose remittances hit PHP31.297 billion.

“This is higher by 64 percent compared to last year’s PHP19.

1 billion of the same period,” he said.

The Department of Finance (DOF) stressed that the collections by mid-July have surpassed the full-year collection of the two previous years.

In 2016, the GOCC’s collections reached PHP27.35 billion, which increased to PHP30.45 billion in 2017.

Roque said the top 10 GOCC contributors are the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp., Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Manila International Airport Authority, Food Terminal Inc.

, Development Bank of the Philippines, and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.