As measured by the share of tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA) to total gross domestic product (GDP), the contribution of tourism to the economy was estimated at 8.2 percent in 2015 (Figure 1). Tourism cuts across different sectors of the economy and the TDGVA serves as the indicator to measure the value added of different industries in relation to tourism activities of both inbound and domestic visitors in the country. The TDGVA amounted to PhP 1,093.1 billion in 2015, higher by 14.8 percent compared to previous year’s PhP 952.2 billion.

 

The TDGVA estimate is based on the latest results of the Philippine Tourism Satellite Accounts (PTSA) which also provides information on tourism expenditure and employment.  The following are the other key results from PTSA:

 

• Inbound tourism expenditure, which refers to the expenditure of non-resident visitors (foreign visitors and Filipinos permanently residing abroad) within the Philippines, continued to increase as it grew by 10.7 percent in 2015, amounting to PhP 306.6 billion from PhP 276.9 billion in 2014. Compared to the country’s total exports, the share of inbound tourism expenditure was 8.2 percent. Inbound tourism ranked third among the biggest export items in 2015, after miscellaneous services at 29.8 percent and semiconductors at 22.8 percent.

 

• Domestic tourism expenditure, which includes expenditure of resident visitors within the country either as domestic trip or part of an international trip, grew by 26.1 percent, from PhP 1,403.8 billion in 2014 to PhP 1,770.7 billion in 2015. Domestic tourism expenditure represents 18.0 percent of the household final consumption expenditure (HFCE) in 2015.

 

• Employment in tourism characteristic industries was estimated at 5.0 million in 2015, higher by 3.4 percent compared to 4.8 million in the previous year.  Share of employment in tourism industries to total employment in the country was recorded at 12.7 percent in 2015.  

 

The PTSA is compiled by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and the PSA Interagency Committee on Tourism Statistics based on the international recommendations for tourism statistics and tourism satellite accounts of the United Nations World Tourism Organization.  The PTSA tables are available at http://www.psa.gov.ph.

 

 

 

FOR THE NATIONAL STATISTICIAN:

 

 

(Deputy National Statistician)

Officer-in-Charge