Philippines tourism makes stride as global ranking climbs

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines was named the seventh-fastest improving economy in global tourism after climbing eight places to 57th out of 110 countries in the 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Scoring 4.08, the flagship travel and tourism benchmarking series described the Philippines as among the largest non-high-income travel and tourism economies that “represent one of the most important sources of future tourism growth.”

Among the country’s gains cited in the index were sustainability, transport connectivity, safety and security and policy conditions, WEF said.

According to the travel and tourism sustainability dimension of the index, the Philippines rose to 29th from 64th due to its nature protection and wastewater treatment.

Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay welcomed the ranking, stressing that the country’s islands, reefs, forests and heritage sites make the Philippines worth visiting.

“Ensuring that these treasures are protected, while responsibly managing the growth and impacts of tourism, remains our key priority to ensure that future generations are able to benefit from it,” Angara-Mathay said.

Ground and port infrastructure jumped to 49th place after gaining higher ratings in seaport, public transport and train efficiency.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) attributed the gain to the agency’s collaboration on transport and infrastructure improvements across the country’s seaports, rail, roads and bridges.

DOT also welcomed the Philippines’ climb to 73rd from 93rd place in the safety and security pillar, citing the decline of homicide incidents in the country in close coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Meanwhile, the policy and enabling conditions dimension placed the Philippines in the 12th spot, a big leap from its 33rd ranking in 2019.

Angara-Mathay attributed the improvement to the 5.8-percent increase in government spending on tourism.

“We acknowledge we have a long way to go, and we are working hard to ensure that every Filipino community that welcomes tourists reaps the benefits through better jobs, better livelihoods and a better quality of life,” Angara-Mathay said.

The TTDI used five dimensions and 17 pillars to assess the factors that make an economy’s travel and tourism development sustainable and resilient.

The Philippines is joined by China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Mexico and Brazil in the 2026 index.