Nearly four-fifths of the entire tourism receipt of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in the previous year are from Baguio visits, Department of Tourism (DOT) data shows.
According to DOT-CAR Regional Director Jovita Ganongan, Baguio saw 1.56 million tourists in total in 2024, where the entirety of the region saw 1.98 million. This accounts for roughly 79% of all tourism in the region.
The remaining tourist arrivals were split, with Mountain Province garnering 151,000, Kalinga with 132,000, and Benguet with 67,000. The remaining roughly 5,000 tourist tickets were split between Ifugao and Abra.
In all, the region saw a 17.71% spike in tourist arrivals, as 2023 saw only 1.683 million tourists.
With the average daily expenditure of tourists estimated to range from P4,000 for domestic and P7,000 for foreign tourists, the DOT-CAR figures estimate at least P10.7 billion worth in revenue for the region just from tourism.
The estimate of receipts is assuming a single-day stay for each recorded tourist, but Ganongan said that the average tourist stays at least three days in the region.
“The arrival and the expenditure of tourists in a place translates to opportunities for the residents. Tourists require a bed to sleep on and a place to eat food. They also look for souvenirs to buy for their friends and loved ones. All these opportunities translate to livelihood activities which in turn creates local jobs,” Ganongan said.
