The Philippines' Department of Tourism (DOT) announced on September 7 that it is pushing to reinstate the e-visa program for Chinese tourists, aimed at simplifying the entry process and stimulating tourism demand. This move is seen as a crucial action in the Philippines' "mending the pen after the sheep are lost" in the Southeast Asian tourism competition.
Tourism Minister Christina Frasco pointed out that visa facilitation is a decisive factor in attracting tourists from major source markets such as China. In contrast, Southeast Asian neighbors have already relaxed or even abolished visa requirements, reaping significant tourist inflows, while the Philippines had previously suspended e-visas and restricted individual travel visa quotas, severely hindering the return of Chinese tourists.
Currently, visa appointments for Chinese individual travelers are still limited, with group visas only twice a week. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has stated that it is ready to handle an increase in applications, but industry concerns remain—if the process bottlenecks are not resolved, the policy benefits may be merely nominal.
The Department of Tourism emphasizes that visa facilitation can directly boost demand. For example, since the visa exemption for India from June 8, there has been a significant rebound in tourist numbers, with an increase of 4.93% from January to August this year, and a 5.01% increase in early September compared to the same period last year. This trend shows the great potential of restoring e-visas for China.
Before the pandemic, China was the second-largest source of tourists for the Philippines, reaching 1.7 million in 2019, second only to South Korea. However, from January to August this year, only 182,000 Chinese tourists visited, a sharp decline of 24.4% year-on-year.
The Department of Foreign Affairs states that tourism competitiveness requires proactive removal of barriers. Industry analysis believes that the restoration of e-visas will open an "express lane" for Chinese tourists, directly stimulating tourism revenue, and potentially affecting the regional tourism landscape. The key is whether the Philippines can fulfill its promises and avoid the situation of "good policy, difficult execution" again.
