CEBU emerged as the most popular destination among foreign visitors looking to travel in celebration of the Lunar New Year, according to digital travel platform Agoda.
Based on data collected from Agoda’s platform, accommodation searches for Cebu jumped by an annual 15%. This was likely driven by the island’s famous beaches, marine life, and cultural heritage.
Ahead of the Lunar New Year, accommodation searches for the Philippines also rose by 19% year-on-year, with interested visitors mostly from South Korea, the United States, and mainland China.
Manila was the sought-after destination for domestic tourists, with a 50% surge in accommodations in the platform. The Philippine capital is home to one of the oldest Chinatowns in the world, where the Lunar New Year is celebrated with traditional dances and other festivities.
“The Lunar New Year holiday is one of Asia’s most popular travel periods and it’s great to see growing interest in the Philippines from international and domestic travelers alike,” Mike Hwang, country director, Philippines at Agoda, was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong is the most favored destination for Filipinos celebrating the “Year of the Snake” abroad, with a 120% annual jump in accommodation searches, overtaking Tokyo.
Outbound accommodation searches increased by 67%, showing Filipinos’ interest to travel abroad for the holiday.
Other destination favorites for the Lunar New Year include Bangkok (Thailand), Osaka and Fukuoka (Japan), and Seoul (South Korea).
Rankings were made based on accommodation searches in Agoda’s platform from Dec. 1 to 25, 2024 for check-ins between Jan. 29 and Feb. 2. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz