Manila, Jul 12 (IANS): Over three million international tourists have visited the Philippines since January this year, according to the Philippines' Department of Tourism (DOT) data.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said tourism revenue from January to June reached 282.17 billion Pesos (about 4.83 billion US dollars), 32.81 percent higher than the earnings recorded in the same period last year.

As of July 10, Frasco said the Philippines welcomed 3,173,694 inbound tourists. Of the tourist arrivals, she said 92.55 percent, or 2,937,293, were foreign tourists while the remaining 7.45 percent, or 236,401, were overseas Filipinos.

South Korea remains the Philippines' top source of foreign tourists, with 824,798, or 25.99 percent of the total number of visitors entering the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

The United States came second with 522,667 (16.47 percent), followed by China with 199,939 (6.30 percent), Japan with 188,805 (5.95 percent), and Australia with 137,391 (4.33 percent).

The Philippines aims to welcome 7.7 million international visitors this year.

In 2023, over five million international visitors entered the country.