TACLOBAN CITY — Tourism in Eastern Visayas surpassed its pre-pandemic performance in 2025, with more than 9.3 million overnight and same-day visitor arrivals recorded across the region, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT)-Eastern Visayas.
The figures, however, also highlighted the need for local governments and tourism establishments to provide more complete and timely data to ensure that tourism policies and investments are based on an accurate picture of the industry.
DOT-Eastern Visayas data showed that the region recorded 2,814,548 overnight guests in 2025, consisting of 2,769,018 domestic tourists and 45,530 foreign tourists.
The region also registered 6,506,021 same-day visitors, including 6,462,653 domestic visitors and 43,368 foreign visitors.
Overnight arrivals increased by 73 percent from 2024, while same-day visitor arrivals grew by 17 percent.
The 2025 figures also exceeded the region’s pre-pandemic tourism performance. Overnight arrivals reached a 161-percent recovery rate compared with 2019, while same-day visitor arrivals reached 138 percent of their 2019 level.
Eastern Visayas currently has an average accommodation occupancy rate of 36 percent, while average tourist expenditure is estimated at P5,902.
Partial data for January to June 2026 showed 781,941 overnight guests, comprising 767,308 domestic tourists and 14,633 foreign visitors.
During the same period, the region recorded 1,778,133 same-day visitors, including 1,767,787 domestic and 10,346 foreign visitors.
The 2026 figures remain partial, however, representing only 50 to 60 percent of submissions from local government units, according to tourism data presented during the region’s observance of the 37th National Statistics Month.
Department of Economy, Planning and Development Regional Director Mylene Rosales stressed the importance of reliable tourism statistics in assessing the industry and guiding government decisions.
“These numbers matter,” Rosales said during the opening of the National Statistics Month celebration in Eastern Visayas.
She said tourism data provide policymakers and industry stakeholders with information on visitor arrivals, accommodation occupancy and other indicators needed to determine the sector’s performance.
Rosales said statistics should go beyond measuring the number of visitors and help policymakers understand the impact of tourism on destinations and communities.
Among the questions that need to be answered, she said, are whether tourism is creating decent and meaningful employment, which communities and sectors are benefiting most, which destinations need greater support in transportation and accessibility, and how resilient the industry is to disasters and other disruptions.
DOT-Eastern Visayas officer-in-charge Regional Director Ma. Catherina Apostol likewise emphasized the importance of accurate and timely tourism data in determining the direction of tourism development.
“Statistics can help us understand where tourism is now, where the opportunities are, where the gaps are, and where we need to go next,” Apostol said.
She said tourism decisions have implications for destinations, communities, businesses and visitors, making reliable data essential to effective planning.
The latest tourism figures also indicate growing demand for experiential, cultural, nature-based, dive, cruise and community-based tourism activities, Apostol said.
“These statistics are not simply measures of how many people visited Eastern Visayas. They help us understand the kind of tourism our visitors are looking for, and the opportunities that creates for our destinations, our community, and our tourism enterprises,” she said.
Apostol urged local government units and tourism enterprises to submit accurate and timely data, saying complete information would help stakeholders monitor changes in visitor demand, identify emerging markets and assess the performance of individual destinations.
Tourism statistics are also among the indicators considered under the Seal of Good Local Governance, making proper data collection and submission important for local governments.
“If statistics are meant to guide us, then we also need to look beyond the numbers, because a number tells us what is happening, it is the story behind the number that helps us understand why it is happening, who is affected, and what to do next,” Apostol said.
The 37th National Statistics Month, observed throughout October, carries the theme “Tuklas Pilipinas: Statistics as Beacon Towards Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Tourism.”
ROEL T. AMAZONA
