00:00She is hoping that more foreigners will visit the country
00:05because of the various incentives that the Philippines has given to her.
00:08This is Claycelle Pardilla in Detail.
00:13This is the third time that Emilia and Elena visited the Philippines from Germany.
00:20It is certain that this is not the last time and there are more to come.
00:25We chose the Philippines because the people are really, really kind.
00:29The nature is beautiful.
00:31It has always been very good.
00:34I was never afraid of anything in the Philippines.
00:39According to Malacanang, more than 1,167,000 tourists visited the country in the first two months of 2025.
00:51The country's income rose to more than Php 65 billion from tourism in January.
00:58This is higher than Php 43 billion that was recorded in the same month of 2019 before the pandemic.
01:06Malacanang said that this is a reflection that the country is still peaceful.
01:11If the peace and order in the Philippines is not good,
01:15it is more likely that tourists will come to us.
01:19But because the number of tourists coming to us is increasing,
01:23our pre-COVID time has already increased.
01:29So it means that tourists who come to our country are not afraid.
01:34The services of the Bureau of Immigration are also faster and more accessible.
01:39And in December, President Ferdinand R. Marquez Jr. also passed the VAT Refund for Non-Residents Tourists Act.
01:48This allows non-residents to claim a 12% value-added tax refund for local products purchased in the Philippines,
01:59which amounts to Php 3,000 per transaction.
02:03So the situation is positive.
02:05More and more people are visiting the country.
02:09At the same time, tourism revenue is increasing because it is expected that a new law will be passed
02:16that will increase tourism spending by 30%.
02:21This will certainly help not only small businesses, but it will also result in more jobs.
02:30Kalei Zalpordilia for Pambansang TV in the new Philippines.
