PRIVATE tourism stakeholders are hopeful that Manila’s new policy of rolling out electronic visas (e-visas) to Chinese citizens will lift overall visitor arrivals this year, although it’s too early to tell if it will aid government meet its target headcount.
Tourism Congress of the Philippines President James Montenegro told the BusinessMirror, ‘Any e-visa program will always be beneficial to the country. I’m hopeful that this program will help increase our arrivals from China, as this seems to be what’s missing in our current arrival numbers.’
He noted that even without the e-visa, tourists from China continue to arrive, although admittedly not at pre-pandemic levels. ‘Even with the difficulty to get visas, they still came, so if the e-visa makes it easier, [arrivals] should increase,’ he added.
Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed 202,738 visitors arrived from China from January to September this year, 22 percent less than the 260,134 who arrived in the same period in 2024.
China was the second top market source for tourists in 2019, accounting for 21 percent or 1.74 million visitors of the 8.3 million international visitors that year. Last year, only 312,222 tourists arrived from China, of the total 5.95 million foreign visitors.
Tighter monitoring in place
Philippine Ambassador to Beijing Jaime FlorCruz has signed a memorandum of agreement with VFS Global-China, which will process the e-visa applications from that country as well as its special administrative territories. These e-visas will be good for just 14 days, without extensions, and available for business and tourism purposes. Visitors are required to enter only via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay or the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. (See, ‘PHL Embassy in Beijing set to issue eVisas for Chinese short-term visitors,’ in the BusinessMirror, Oct. 15, 2025.)
While the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has yet to release the actual guidelines for said e-visa rules, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it has already tightened its monitoring of foreign nationals visiting the Philippines.
BI Spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval underscored: ‘Current measures are already in place to prevent the overstaying of foreign nationals. Our integrated systems make their travel records visible in all ports. Should any foreign national overstay in the country, our intelligence division personnel are deployed to locate and arrest said aliens.’
Boracay stakeholders also lauded the coming e-visa rollout for Chinese visitors, who topped the key source markets for the island, prior to the pandemic. Data from the Malay Tourism Office showed the island received 434,175 Chinese tourists in 2019, accounting for 42 percent of the 1.04 million foreign tourists who visited that year.
Strong marketing urged
‘This development, though long overdue, must be more than just symbolic. The Philippines already faces stiff competition in tourism .. With visa friction reduced, I believe we can regain some of that lost traction,’ said Boracay Foundation Inc. President Dindo Salazar. ‘Yes, Boracay could benefit from higher arrivals – but only if this policy is supported by timely implementation, strong promotional campaigns, and continued improvements in visitor experience. Otherwise, it risks being another well-intentioned policy with limited impact,’ he added.
DOT Spokesperson Czarina Zarah Loyola said in a text message that they were still ‘clarifying the steps in the application process’ with the DFA. The DOT had to recalibrate its arrivals targets after missing its 7.7-million goal in 2024, and recently informed senators that it projected 6.7 million international travelers in 2026, considerably less than its 9.3-million original target.
The DFA had suspended the rollout of the e-visa scheme in China on November 30, 2023, without explanation, although this paper’s sources intimated that this was on instruction from Malacañang.
There had been persistent concerns from lawmakers as well as law-enforcement agencies on rising criminal incidents involving Chinese visitors, including the use of fake Filipino identification cards. Added to these are ongoing diplomatic tensions between Manila and Beijing over the West Philippine Sea.
Visa-free arrivals are now offered to India, however, which DOT hopes will replace the sluggish Chinese market.