Here’s a list of the top countries of origin of Philipine tourist arrivals for the first 4 months of 2011, according to the Department of Tourism.
The Koreans topped all other foreign visitors, followed by U.S. residents and the Japanese. Fellow Pinoys who have migrated to other countries continued to visit their home country, as they ranked fourth in number.
Tourists from Hongkong dropped significantly in number, and most Filipinos cite the tragic resolution of the bus hostage taking at the Luneta Park as the reason for the decrease in Hongkong tourists.
All in all, about 1.3 million tourists traveled to the Philippines in the first 4 months of 2011, a growth of 13.33 percent compared to last year’s first four months.
| 1. South Korea | 286,018 | 28.35 % |
| 2. U.S. | 229,200 | 8.76 % |
| 3. Japan | 129,223 | 8.09 % |
| Fourth: Overseas Filipinos | 73,322 | 2.88 % drop |
| (permanent residents of other countries) | ||
| 4. China | 71,113 | 18.54 % |
| 5. Australia | 56,681 | 20.84 % |
| 6. Taiwan | 55,662 | 42.68 % |
| 7. Canada | 44,978 | 18.80 % |
| 8. Singapore | 42,680 | 12.96 % |
| 9. Hongkong | 39,535 | 17.14 % drop |
| 10. UK | 36,980 | 6.36 % |
| 11. Malaysia | 28,433 | 17.93 % |
| 12. Germany | 22,869 | 0.27 % |
| 13. Thailand | 12,788 | 0.92 % |
| 14. India | 14,336 | 44.62 % |
| 15. Guam | 11,858 | 0.47 % |
| 16. France | 11,461 | 6.51 % |