1 million foreigners visited RP in first quarter

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday reported that more than one million foreigners entered the country during the first quarter of the year.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said they noted an 11 percent increase in the number of foreigners who traveled to the country from January to April this year compared to the same period last year.

Statistics show that a total of 1,081,794 foreigners visited the Philippines during this period, while 982,432 people arrived last year. Libanan said this would perk up the country’s economy, particularly the tourism industry.

BI-Immigration Regulation Division (IRD) chief Alberto Braganza attributed the low number of foreign visitors in 2009 to the global financial crisis.