MORE Filipinos are making plans to travel with 87 percent looking to travel domestically and internationally.
Outsourcing and technology services specialist VFS Global in a study said visa applications from the Philippines have reached 91 percent of the 2019 pre-pandemic levels in 2022, and growing 44 percent from 2021.
The study which tracked trends in light of the emergence of the country from COVID-19, destinations of visa applicants, and behavior of travelers on personalized services showed major destinations for visa applicants from the Philippines include (in alphabetical order) Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, and United Kingdom .
“We saw a healthy demand from Philippines in 2022 with steady volumes witnessed until December. We are confident that the travel momentum will grow even further in 2023,” said Kaushik Ghosh, Head — Australasia, VFS Global.
The study showed travellers has a wider adoption of personalized service which began since the pandemic. Premium optional services such as Visa At Your Doorstep (VAYD) that enables travellers to book the entire visa processing at a location of their choice, witnessed around two times growth over the pre-pandemic levels in 2022, the study said.
When compared with 2021, VAYD saw a 42 percent rise in 2022.
VFS Global offers VAYD for 10 client governments in Philippines — Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Malta, Switzerland, and UK.
“Health considerations continue to be a key determining factor in the new normal, with a large and growing section of travellers becoming conscious about health and safety,” added Ghosh.
