Will Indians Fill Tourism Deficit Left by Chinese Now That They Can Be Issued E-Visas to the Philippines?
It’s become much easier for Indian nationals to visit the country after the Department of Foreign Affairs announced the rollout of e-visa operations at the Philippine embassy in New Delhi and three honorary consulates in Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai. According to the new rules, Indian nationals may now apply for e-visas remotely and pay the required fees online through direct bank transfers.
Based on DFA data, a total of 7,259 Indians have been issued e-visas since the new rule was announced.
The new visa rules have raised hopes from private sector tourism stakeholders that Indians would replace the large Chinese tourism market, whose numbers have dipped in recent months.
From January to November 29 this year, a total of 72,881 tourists from India visited the Philippines. This is already up from the 70,286 who arrived in the full year 2023. However, it’s still far from the 134,963 Indian tourists in the Philippines in pre-pandemic 2019.
For comparison, Filipinos who traveled to India in the 11 months to November 30, 2024 reached 17,734.
Meanwhile, there were 1.7 million Chinese tourists in the Philippines in 2019.
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No flights
A significant stumbling block in the efforts to attract more visitors to the Philippines from India is the fact that there are currently no direct flights between the two countries.
According to James Montenegro, president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, the lack of direct flights means higher costs for travelers, which could lead to perceptions from tour operators that the market isn’t as lucrative because the tourists want to cut costs in the country.
“That [airfare] adds to their cost as well,” Montenegro said. “So once they have their direct flights, I’m sure their tickets will be cheaper, so their whole budget here will go up.”
Many Indians who make their way to Manila need to stop in cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, or Kuala Lumpur before they arrive in Manila.
There have been reports that India’s national carrier, Air India, has expressed interest in flying between Mumbai or New Delhi, and Manila, although sources from within the New Naia Infrastructure Corp., the private company that handles operations in NAIA said Air India has yet to reapply for said flights.
The country’s flag-carrier, Philippine Airlines (PAL), had also announced plans to start direct flights to India, although there have been no updates since then.
Huge potential
“India’s population is really bigger than China,” Montenegro said. “And their middle class is also growing very fast. So this is a huge potential for us in terms of MICE (meetings incentives conventions exhibitions), and also for leisure travelers, and weddings.”
Montenegro—who is also country manager of Chroma Hospitality—revealed that the resorts he oversees have already hosted Indian weddings, a niche market the state-owned Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) wants to attract, in recent months. Chroma Hospitality manages hotels and resorts under the Filinvest Group like Crimson Resort & Spa Mactan and Boracay.
“It’s a market we want to grow,” TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles said. “We’ve been meeting with the Indian Chamber [of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines] for possible promotion strategies.”
Unlike traditional Filipino or even Western weddings, Indian weddings normally last three to five days, which give a destination or venuew a large source of income for its accommodations, restaurants, tour guides, and other tourism services. According to travel news site Skift, Indians spend some $14,400 (roughly P850,000) on weddings, and estimated the Indian wedding industry at $120 million.
An Indian wedding planner, US-based Shanqh Luxury Events, recommends the Philippines for destination weddings, listing specific partner high-end resorts in destinations such as Panglao Island, Bohol; Boracay Island, Siargao, El Nido, Arrecife Island, and Amanpulo.
