Philippines Pushes for Common Asean Visa Amid Tourism Resurgence

Strategic Insights -

The Philippines, along with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), is moving forward with the implementation of a common visa system, aiming to unify the region as a single tourism destination. According to Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, the Asean visa will allow tourists to visit nine member countries for 90 days on a single visa, promoting economic growth and inbound tourism. This move follows the recent Skift Asia Forum 2025 in Bangkok, where Frasco expressed the Philippines' commitment to this initiative.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Philippines, along with other Asean members, is pushing for the implementation of a common visa system, inspired by the European Union's Schengen visa.
  • The Asean visa will allow tourists to visit nine member countries for 90 days on a single visa, aiming to increase inbound tourists and speed up economic growth.
  • In 2024, the Philippines received 436,978 tourists from other Asean members, which was 83 percent of the arrivals in 2019.
  • The Philippines will host the Asean summit meetings in Cebu and Manila next year, providing an opportunity to further discuss the common Asean visa.
  • The country is diversifying its tourism markets, targeting the Middle East, India, and other regions to reduce dependence on Chinese tourists.
  • The Department of Tourism (DOT) has implemented a revitalized halal program to attract more Muslim visitors, while the Department of Foreign Affairs has launched an e-visa program in India.
  • Collaboration, rather than competition, is key to Asean's success, as exemplified by the 'Two Countries, One Destination' program between the Philippines and Thailand.

Statistics:

  • Over 121 million foreign tourists arrived in Asean last year, with 5.95 million going to the Philippines.
  • The Philippines received 436,978 tourists from other Asean members in 2024, which was 83 percent of the arrivals in 2019.
  • In 2019, Chinese tourists reached 1.7 million in the Philippines.
  • The Philippines saw 312,222 tourists from China last year, up 18.34 percent from 2023.
  • From the Middle East, 94,219 tourists arrived in the Philippines last year, nearly 28 percent higher than the 73,703 who arrived in 2019.
  • There were 79,000 Indian tourists in the Philippines last year, 41.45 percent less than the 134,963 tourists in 2019.

Sources:

  • Skift Asia Forum 2025
  • BusinessMirror, "PHL to host Asean Tourism Forum 2026," Jan. 21, 2025
  • BusinessMirror, "Safety, costs bug Indian tourists in PHL," Feb. 27, 2025