BI recorded over 161k arrivals on Christmas weekend

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 26)— A total of 161,664 passengers arrived in the Philippines on Christmas weekend with 81% of them passing through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Tuesday.

According to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, 130,497 passengers left the country from Dec. 23 to 25 this year. In December 2019, it logged an average of 47,000 departures.

The 2023 passenger arrival is higher than last year’s over 62,000 recorded passengers on Christmas weekend only.

From Dec. 1 to 22 this year, the BI recorded a total of 2,773,711 arriving passengers which surpassed last year’s 2,421,144 international and domestic travelers over the same period. The 2022 data is almost 85% of pre-pandemic figures, the airport authorities noted.

The BI said that before the pandemic, they saw an average of 55,000 daily arrivals during December.

“Figures show that the number of travelers is almost surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. It’s a cause for celebration for the tourism and international travel sectors,” he said.

Meanwhile, for seaport, the Philippine Coast Guard said it monitored 76,307 outbound passengers and 59,297 inbound passengers between 6 a.m. and noon in all ports nationwiide on Tuesday.

Land travels

In a separate statement on Tuesday, the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) recorded 148,576 passengers as of 7 p.m. On Saturday, PITX saw a record-breaking 240,000 people flocking to travel home for the holidays.

READ: PITX sees highest-ever foot traffic on Dec. 23 amid holiday exodus

Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) reminded motorists and passengers about the violations and penalties that may occur during the holidays under its Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 and Memorandum Circular 2011-004.