The Department of Tourism (DOT) is hoping to expand the coverage of an existing visa-free arrangement for Chinese tourists to more gateways across the country.

In an interview in Makati City on Tuesday, Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the proposal is part of its push to increase arrivals from key markets as it aims to reach more than six million inbound visitors by the end of 2026.

“We’re working on the visa arrangement with China to cover not only Cebu and Manila but other areas. So, if we’re going to get all the other agencies (to) sign up on this, then we can expect a lot more chartered flights from China and a lot more arrivals,” she said.

Once the proposal gets approval, Angara-Mathay said, the arrangement’s coverage will include Bohol, Palawan, Clark, and Caticlan.

“We’re working very hard, and we came up with a nice position paper that not only puts in the economic impact, and that’s supported by hard data,” she said.

“So walang bola ‘yon, kasi (That’s not just made up, because) we have recruited some math experts and statisticians to help us come up with the data with verifiable sources – Makikita mo talaga that may profound effect yung visa sa arrivals (You can clearly see that the visa has a profound effect on arrival numbers).”

Chinese nationals enjoy a 14-day visa-free entry to the Philippines through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu.

Inbound travelers from China have reached 310,088 from January to August, up by 69.15 percent compared to the same period last year, based on the latest data from the DOT.

Among the Philippines’ top 10 source markets for foreign visitors from January to August, China and India posted the highest growth in arrivals, at 69.15 percent and 32.2 percent, respectively.

Similar to China, travelers from India were previously granted visa-free privileges by the Philippine government. (PNA)