While some tourism stakeholders continue to say visitor traffic felt slow and described Puerto Princesa as a stopover for travelers bound for El Nido and other destinations in the province, the City Tourism Department (CTD) reported that arrivals in the city rose 10.09% in 2025.
Data presented by Michie Hitosis-Meneses of the CTD, headed by City Tourism Officer Demetrio Alvior Jr., showed that arrivals increased from roughly 726,414 in 2024 to 799,739 in 2025. The growth translated to an estimated ₱13.33 billion in tourism receipts for the city.
Of the 799,739 total arrivals, the information office said 74.75% were domestic tourists, while 25.25% were foreign visitors. The top five foreign markets were the United States, France, Australia, Germany, and Canada.
The department said most visitors traveled for pleasure or vacation, followed by business or professional trips and meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE).
Data show domestic tourists averaged nearly ₱18,000 a day, while foreign visitors averaged more than ₱13,000 on accommodation, transport, food, tours, shopping, and other services.
MICE tourism recorded 1,250 events last year, drawing 110,693 delegates and participants. Cruise tourism logged 20 port calls, bringing in 40,066 passengers and crew members.
The city maintained an average of 21 daily flights to support visitor traffic.
To ensure service standards, the department conducted 1,046 inspections of tourism-related enterprises. A total of 1,218 establishments were listed as fully compliant.
Eight training programs were held to improve service quality, benefiting 830 tourism workers and stakeholders.
The department provided assistance to 2,997 clients and conducted 169 courtesy calls. It joined four major trade fairs and four roadshows in Bohol, Baguio, Pasig, and Davao.
The official Puerto Princesa Tourism page recorded 19.2 million organic views and reach. Partnerships with social media influencers and a weekly tourism radio program formed part of the campaign.
Cultural initiatives were also highlighted, with 317 cultural properties documented and 30 compliant with National Commission on Culture and the Arts requirements under the Seal of Good Local Governance.
In total, the CTD acted on 1,740 transactions during the year.
