TACLOBAN CITY – The tourism industry in the province of Leyte remains to be vibrant and has earned a total of P12.25 billion from tourist receipts in 2018, a report from the regional office of the Department of Tourism (DOT).
Karina Rosa Tiopes, DOT-8 director, told reporters that the total income of P12.5 billion earned by the province from tourists last year was derived from the total of 1,147,462 tourist arrivals wherein 36,411 were foreign while the 1,111,051 were domestic tourists.
Tiopes reported that Leyte recorded an increasing trend of tourist arrivals and income for the past three years.
She said that in 2017, the province recorded a total of 971,032 tourist arrivals wherein 40,043 were foreign while the 930,989 were domestic tourists, with the total tourist receipts of P9.75 billion.
On the other hand, in 2016, the province had 755,144 total tourist arrivals of which 22,749 were foreigners while the 732,395 were domestic tourists. The total tourist receipts reached P7.17 billion, Tiopes added.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, in a separate interview, said that the tourism industry of the province remains active as Leyte continue to draw most of the tourists visiting the region every year.
Petilla added that the income derived from the tourism industry contributes to the economy of the province. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)