TOURIST arrivals in the country for the month of February hit a four-year high, according to data released by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
In a statement, the DOT said a total of 579,178 visitors were recorded in February 2017, breaking the month’s previous records of tourist arrivals. This was 5.36 percent higher than the same period last year and 27.81 percent higher in the past four years.
The DOT is targeting seven million arrivals for 2017. The combined arrivals for January and February represent 17.30 percent of the annual target.
South Korean visitors topped the inbound traffic with 150,598 arrivals (26 percent), followed by tourists from the United States with 137,598 (23.76 percent), China with 78,251 (13.51 percent), Japan with 53,957 (9.32 percent), and Taiwan with 20,472 (3.53 percent).
“We have maintained and even increased figures from South Korea and we expect to see further growth, as Korean tourists perceive our country as a distinctive global destination built on unique experiences and rich natural beauty,” Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said in a statement.