The Department of Tourism (DOT) is set to pour in more promotions budget for several key and emerging markets in 2026, including the United States, South Korea, Canada, China, India and the Middle East.

Speaking to reporters, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the DOT intends to fully recover the South Korean market, which slipped to 1.34 million last year from 1.45 million in 2024.

The DOT, she said, will also capitalize on the U.S., as one of the country’s “most reliable” markets to pull the arrival numbers for 2026.

With Canada, the DOT is optimistic the new connections through Air Canada would bring in more Canadian tourists into the country.

“So generally, the Americas are very, very promising for us,” she said.

The DOT, Frasco added, will intensify promotions in China as the country opens the year with eased visa policy for Chinese, which allows them at least 14-day visa-free entry into the Philippines.

“China has been challenging, to say the least. So, for China specifically, we’re working with our Beijing and Shanghai offices plus the private sector,” she said.

“We will have a very specific targeted campaign in certain cities even as we work with the airlines to recover the pre-pandemic flights.”

Frasco shared that as of Tuesday, flights into the Philippines from China only recovered 50 percent since the pandemic.

“Of course, the visa-free will really help us,” she said.

For the Middle East, Frasco said the Philippines sees “promising growth” from the United Arab Emirates market, whose leisure travelers coming into the country has been growing over the past year.

The UAE’s flag carrier Emirates, she said, is also requesting increased slots from the UAE to Manila as well as the retention or expansion of their Cebu and Clark flights.

“Of course, Qatar is also our partner. So, we hope to make our presence felt there. And of course, the Middle East in general,” Frasco added.

The Philippines recorded 6.4 million foreign visitors and returning overseas Filipinos in 2025, generating an estimated P694 billion in tourism receipts.

Of this number, South Korea remains the top market, followed by the US with 1.32 million visitors, Japan with 469,521, Australia with 359,646, and Canada with 333,136.

China ranked sixth with 237,101 while India ranked 11th with 104,994 visitors from Jan. to Dec. 2025.PNA