The tourism industry’s contribution to the Philippine economy eased in 2025, even as the sector continued to generate millions of jobs, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Data from the PSA showed that tourism accounted for 8.1 percent of the country’s economy in 2025, lower than the 8.7 percent share recorded in 2024.
Tourism Direct Gross Value Added, or the economic value generated by industries that directly provide goods and services to visitors, reached P2.27 trillion in 2025. This was slightly lower than the P2.30 trillion posted in 2024, reflecting a 1.4 percent year-on-year decline.
Among tourism spending categories, outbound tourism expenditure registered the fastest growth, rising 3.5 percent to P357.93 billion in 2025.
Domestic tourism expenditure also increased by three percent, climbing to P3.26 trillion from P3.16 trillion in 2024.
Inbound tourism expenditure, however, declined by 6.4 percent to P698.46 billion in 2025 from P745.99 billion a year earlier.
Internal tourism expenditure, which combines inbound and domestic tourism spending, still grew by 1.2 percent to P3.96 trillion in 2025 from P3.91 trillion in 2024.
Despite the lower economic share, tourism employment continued to expand. The PSA estimated that 7.70 million people were employed in tourism-related industries in 2025, up 2.5 percent from 7.51 million in 2024.
Tourism jobs accounted for 15.7 percent of total employment in the country, underscoring the sector’s continued importance to livelihoods even as its share of the economy softened.