International visitor arrivals to the Philippines have reached more than 4.8 million so far this year, the country’s Department of Tourism said on Friday.

In a statement quoted by the Philippine News Agency, the bureau said that, as of November 1, the number of international visitors to the Philippines had reached 4,879,022.

The Philippines is one of the few jurisdictions in Asia to have an extensive casino industry with unrestricted access for locals, as well as foreigners.

The Philippines said at the end of last year, it was targeting to draw 7.7 million foreign visitors this year after exceeding its 2023 arrivals forecast. The country received an aggregate of 5.45 million international visitors in full-year 2023, with 91.8 percent being foreigners.