Country prepares to host 2026 summit
THE Philippines will push for the implementation of a single or unified visa system in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) when it hosts the Asean Summit in 2026.
In a statement on Sunday, Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco of the Department of Tourism (DOT) said she expressed this at the SKIFT Asia Forum 2025 held in Bangkok, Thailand on May 15.
Frasco added the proposal to have an Asean visa similar to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) visa in the Middle East and the Schengen visa in Europe — where a tourist allowed in one Asean country can likewise enter multiple Asean countries — aligns with Asean Tourism’s tagline of “A destination for every dream.”
“The Asean visa certainly is part of that dream,” Frasco said in her speech.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin first proposed the single visa program for mainland Asean states in April 2024. The purpose was basically to promote tourism and consequently, economic growth. Some observers said the proposal appeared to be a daunting and ambitious task for the mainland Asean states.
Frasco, however, said “to be able to unify the Asean as a destination in terms of the strength of its natural assets and in terms of the quality of experiences, is one that is aspirational for us in the Philippines.”
Similar interest
“As a minister of Tourism, it is a proposition that I have tried to make at every opportunity. I am glad to hear similar interest from our fellow Asean nations, and we are very hopeful that the subject matter will again come up as the Philippines hosts the Asean in 2026,” Frasco said.
She said collaboration would benefit all of the Asean countries while maintaining healthy competition among them.
She cited the Philippines’ partnership with Thailand as an example of productive collaboration through the “Two Countries, One Destination” effort where both countries share best practices.
Regional statistics showed Thailand was the top destination among the 10 Asean countries at 28 million visitors in 2023,
with the Philippines at 7th, with 5.45 million arrivals.
Tourist arrivals down
DOT data showed tourist arrivals in the first four months of 2025 fell 0.82 percent to 2.104 million from 2.121 million in the same period in 2024, dragged down by the 18 percent decline in visitors from South Korea, the country’s top source market accounting for 22.5 percent .
The number of South Korean tourists fell to 468,337 in the first four months of the year from 571,384 in the same period last year.
Frasco said the Philippines is targeting markets such as the Middle East and the GCC, as well as India.
“And of course to strengthen further our source markets from South Korea, Japan, the United States, as well as Europe,” she added.
The tourism secretary said the DOT saw growing numbers of tourists from the Middle East and the GCC, particularly coming from expat communities in the region.
“Because of our efforts to diversify, we are seeing, for example, from the Middle East and the GCC, an average of no less than 500 to 800 percent growth rate in terms of international tourism arrivals,” she said, without mentioning numbers.
Frasco cited the various programs implemented by the DOT to increase the country’s attractiveness as a Halal and Muslim-friendly destination, including the recognition
of more accommodation establishments and restaurants, as well as the launch of the Muslim-friendly Marhaba Cove on Boracay Island.
