Hong Kong tops the list of destinations, followed by Japan and Singapore.
Some 6.85 million Filipinos traveled abroad last year, with the majority favoring Asian destinations.
Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed, of the total outbound travelers last year, Hong Kong topped the list of Filipinos’ preferred destinations, at 886,771. This was followed by Japan at 789,157, and Singapore at 759,219.
Other top choices for outbound Filipinos last year were: the United Arab Emirates at 463,808; Saudi Arabia at 436,243; Taiwan at 424,080; Thailand at 406,063; the United States at 345,064; Vietnam at 216,120; and South Korea at 214,153.
DOT officials said the outbound travel data were collected via the e-travel app, and include departures of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). There were no comparative data for 2023, but in previous news statements, the Bureau of Immigration said over 7 million Filipinos (tourists and OFWs) traveled abroad that year. It added that in 2019, more than 8 million Filipinos traveled abroad, which means outbound travel still has to recover to prepandemic levels.
Quick getaways
In an interview, chairman and general manager of Asiareps Travel Services Inc. Ritchie Tuaño told The POST that Asian destinations were preferred usually by Filipinos “because of their close proximity, which makes them perfect for a quick getaway.”
Also, he said, except for Japan and South Korea, the Asian countries in the top 10 list don’t require Filipinos to apply for visas. He added that these destinations were also accessible because of an “abundance of low-cost carriers. This, coupled with budget friendly accommodations, activities, and affordable street food options” make these Asian destinations cost-effective for Filipinos.
“Being Asians, we find cultural links or similarities with our neighbors. This makes a lot of travelers comfortable,” said Tuaño, who is also the former president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association.
There was a sizeable number of Filipinos who traveled to major European destinations as well, reaching 296,953, with the United Kingdom topping the list at 78,742; Italy at 57,262; Germany at 40,784; Spain, 39,713; the Netherlands at 30,871; and France at 29,581. After France, other European destinations received less than 14,000 Filipino travelers.
Long holiday breaks
Meanwhile, the same DOT data indicated that most Filipinos traveled abroad during the last three months of 2024: 595,338 in October; 600,248 in November; and peaked in December at 655,640. These travel periods coincided with long holidays like the semestral vacation in schools, the All Saints’ Day/All Souls’ Day break, and the Christmas-New Year period.
Filipinos also took advantage of the final stretch before their children went back to school in August for the new school term, with 597,085 having traveled last July.
Last year, close to 17,000 Filipinos likewise traveled to Israel (8,406) and Jordan (7,867), an indication of the popularity of pilgrimages to the Holy Land, especially during the months of January and July.
Japan urges early applications for visas
In a related development, the embassy of Japan in the Philippines recently confirmed the surge in Filipino travelers to their country, such that it had advised visa applicants to send in their applications at least two months before their intended departure.
Posting on its website, the embassy said, “The number of visa applications to visit Japan has been increasing at an unprecedented rate, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. Taking this into consideration and in order to further revitalize people-to-people exchange between Japan and the Philippines, we are preparing to transition to a new examination system [visa center system] to maintain the quality and enhance the efficiency of visa processing.”
In early February, the embassy said on its Facebook page that it would earnestly try to process visa applications “within five working days, after it is submitted to the embassy by the travel agencies.” However, with the transition to the new visa center system, “examination of visa applications for tourism purposes which normally took five working days, might now take several weeks—a period longer than the standard processing time. Therefore, applicants are recommended to apply at least two months prior to the date of travel.”
The embassy further clarified in its email to The POST that it only accepts visa applications through its “accredited travel agencies,” whether for group tours or individual trips.
Asked whether the transition to a new visa center system meant the embassy will be subcontracting its visa services to a third-party provider such as VFS, which is used by other foreign embassies in the country, the embassy said the contract has been signed and details will be announced to the public later.
