Chinese arrivals to Philippines rise despite Pogos ban, bilateral row
Despite strained relations and a ban on offshore gaming operators (Pogos), the number of tourists from China to the Philippines increased by 20% in the past year. According to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Chinese arrivals rose from 417,128 in 2023 to 500,082 last year.
This increase occurred even as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr banned Pogos, which catered primarily to Chinese visitors, and amid ongoing tensions between the two countries over the South China Sea dispute and arrests of Chinese nationals accused of spying. The Philippines welcomed 14.7 million international visitors last year, still lower than the 17 million arrivals in 2019 before the pandemic.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Despite strained relations and a ban on offshore gaming operators (Pogos), the number of tourists from China to the Philippines increased by 20% in the past year. According to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Chinese arrivals rose from 417,128 in 2023 to 500,082 last year.
This increase occurred even as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr banned Pogos, which catered primarily to Chinese visitors, and amid ongoing tensions between the two countries over the South China Sea dispute and arrests of Chinese nationals accused of spying. The Philippines welcomed 14.7 million international visitors last year, still lower than the 17 million arrivals in 2019 before the pandemic.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
