THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday reported that it has logged a record-setting 161,000 arrivals in the country during the Christmas weekend.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco, in a press statement, said a total of 161,664 passengers arrived in the country from Dec. 23 to 25.
The BI said about 81 percent of the arrivals came in through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“International travel is not just on a rebound. 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,” the BI chief added.
Tansingco also the BI registered a total of 130,497 outbound passengers during the same period.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the BI saw an average of 55,000 daily arrivals in December.
It also recorded an average of 47,000 departures in December 2019.
The BI has implemented measures to ensure faster and more efficient processing of arriving and departing passengers during the peak season.
It urged arriving Filipinos to use the e-gates for faster immigration clearance and encouraged passengers to register via the e-travel portal at etravel.gov.ph at least 72 hours before arrival or departure.
