More Japanese tourists visited the Philippines in 2024 as the country marked record high tourism revenues, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Monday.

Arrivals from Japan rose 22.84 percent as it reached 444, 528 visitors from 2023 figures of 361, 862.

''This surge was attributed to aggressive tourism campaigns and strategic partnerships with Japanese travel agencies that paved further awareness and interest in the Philippines as a travel destination,'' the DOT said in a statement.

The Philippines' tourism revenue soared to an all-time high of P760 billion last year, DOT said. This was an increase of 9.04 percent compared to the P697.46 billion in 2023.

South Korea maintained its position as the top source of foreign tourists, with arrivals increasing to 1,574,152 from 1,455,977 in 2023, garnering more than 26.46 percent of the total market share.

The United States ranked second, with 1,076,663 visitors in 2024, increasing from 1,041,305 in 2023.

Though significantly lower than the pre-pandemic figures, China showed signs of recovery with 313,856 arrivals compared to 264,922 in the previous year.

Fifth was Australia (299,286) and Canada sixth (269,300). DMS