China was pushed into fourth place by Japan in terms of main source markets for tourism to the Philippines, according to data for the first eight months of 2024 published by the nation’s Department of Tourism.

China’s August tally actually fell 25.3 percent month-on-month. However the year-on-year growth rate for tourists from China was still one of the strongest in the market over the eight-month period, at nearly 38.3 percent.

The Philippines is one of the few jurisdictions in Asia to have an extensive casino industry with unrestricted access for locals, as well as foreigners.

The Philippines received 3.34 million foreign tourists in the first eight months of 2024, a tally nearly 10.9-percent higher than the prior-year period, according to data published by the nation’s Department of Tourism.

Foreign tourists accounted for 92.0 percent of aggregate arrivals. The latter tally includes people classified as overseas Filipinos.

In aggregate terms, the country recorded just under 3.66 million arrivals in the eight months to August 31, including 313,287 entries by overseas Filipinos. The latter segment’s arrivals tally was 2.6 percent from a year earlier.

In terms of foreign tourists, South Korea remains the Philippines’ top source market, with an aggregate of 953,762 arrivals in the January to August period inclusive, accounting for nearly 26.8 percent of the total. The tally from that market was up by 13.0 percent year-on-year.

The second-biggest source was the United States, with 632,687arrivals in the eight months to August 31, almost flat from a year earlier; and just over 15.8 percent of all arrivals.

Japan rounded out the top three source markets, providing 195,394 arrivals, nearly 6.5 percent of all visitors. The figure was up 33.6 percent from the prior-year period.

In August, the Philippines received 46,909 visitors from Japan, up 46.5 percent from July’s number.