DOT eyes 2 million Chinese tourists by yearend

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is targeting two million Chinese tourist arrivals once electronic visas are issued by the end of this year.

In a statement, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said they are “continuously coordinating with the (Department of Foreign Affairs) in terms of lifting the cap on issuance of visas for Chinese nationals to enable the attainment of the target two million Chinese tourists arrivals by yearend.”

Chinese travelers have been among the country’s top 10 tourists after borders were reopened last year.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco previously warned the country could lose over $2.51 billion in revenues “if the difficulties in obtaining visas are not immediately addressed.”