Since its opening, the Philippines has received nearly 2.4 million of tourists! The "Filipinos Invite Foreigners to the Philippines" program will be implemented!

According to Philippine media reports, on December 17, according to data from the Philippine Ministry of Tourism (DOT), the Philippines has received nearly 2.4 million foreign tourists since the re-opening of international travel borders in February.

The country's tourism minister, Christina García-Frasco (Christina Garcia-Frasco), attributed the increase in foreign tourists to the relaxation of travel restrictions, including mandatory COVID-19 testing and the extension of the quarantine period.

As of December 15, a total of 2,397,919 foreign tourists had entered the country, most of them from the United States, South Korea, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The Department of Transportation (DOT), in partnership with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), launched the Bisita Be My Guest (BBMG) program last Thursday due to more lax pandemic-related travel rules.

BBMG is a promotional event designed to inspire Filipinos, especially Filipino workers abroad (OFW) and Filipinos abroad (OF), to invite foreigners to visit the Philippines.

DOT's BBMG campaign aims to reintroduce the Philippines to the world in the life-changing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frasco said the DOT was designed to provide a platform for OFW and OF to reconnect with their families, while helping the country gain financially from the increased number of visitors.