Tourism receipts in the Negros Island Region increased to P32.40 billion in 2025 despite a decline in tourist arrivals, prompting the Department of Tourism to push for a regional strategy focused on longer stays, higher visitor spending and interconnected destinations.
DOT-NIR Concurrent Regional Director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez presented the region’s tourism outlook during the 2nd Negros Occidental Tourism Summit at STI West Negros University in Bacolod City on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Rodriguez said the challenge for the newly established region is to turn its existing tourism assets into a competitive regional economy that is connected, compelling, high-value and resilient.
“A competitive region is not defined by arrivals alone,” she said, pointing instead to what tourism generates for businesses, communities and destinations.
Figures presented by the DOT showed that NIR recorded 2.69 million tourist arrivals in 2025, down 3.43 percent from 2.79 million in 2024.
Tourist receipts, however, increased by 4.60 percent from P30.98 billion in 2024 to P32.40 billion in 2025.
Receipts per tourist arrival were calculated at about P12,040 in 2025, an 8.31 percent increase from the previous year.
The DOT-NIR said the figures indicate an opportunity for the region to compete based not only on the number of visitors but also on the economic value generated by each trip.
Domestic tourists remained NIR’s biggest market, accounting for 90.4 percent of arrivals in 2025.
The region recorded about 2.43 million domestic tourists, 255,800 foreign visitors and 2,400 overseas Filipinos.
Foreign arrivals increased by 12.18 percent year-on-year while domestic arrivals declined by 4.83 percent, which the DOT said underscores the need to protect the domestic tourism base while developing more internationally ready products and experiences.
Bacolod City and Negros Oriental each accounted for about 870,000 tourist arrivals, or 32.5 percent of the regional total, in 2025.
Negros Occidental recorded about 660,000 arrivals, equivalent to 24.6 percent, while Siquijor had about 280,000, or 10.5 percent.
Rather than having the four destinations compete separately, the Rodriguez proposed developing complementary tourism circuits that encourage visitors to travel across different parts of the region.
The department’s preliminary 2026 figures also showed significant same-day travel within NIR.
As of Aug. 17, the region had reported 1.49 million overnight visitors and 2.82 million excursionists, or same-day visitors, for a combined 4.31 million visitors.
Only about 34.5 percent of the reported total were overnight visitors.
Negros Occidental recorded 436,723 overnight visitors and more than 2.17 million excursionists, while Negros Oriental reported 503,859 overnight visitors and 551,167 excursionists.
Bacolod reported 486,467 overnight visitors, while Siquijor recorded 59,745 overnight visitors and 100,343 excursionists.
The DOT cautioned, however, that the 2026 figures should not be directly compared with the 2025 tourist arrival figures because the newer dataset includes excursionists.
The large number of same-day travelers nevertheless presents an opportunity to turn pass-through visits into overnight stays through packages, evening activities, multi-stop circuits and experiences that visitors can readily book.
DOT-NIR also identified different tourism strengths that could complement each other across NIR.
Bacolod’s portfolio centers on meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions or MICE, gastronomy, events and urban culture, while Negros Occidental offers sugar heritage, haciendas, festivals and agriculture and food experiences.
Negros Oriental has marine and dive tourism, wellness, literature and education, while Siquijor offers island, wellness, nature, culture and community-based experiences.
Under the proposed regional strategy, these destinations would be linked through clustered products and circuit itineraries, supported by coordinated transportation, integrated visitor information and digital booking systems.
The regional director also called for a shift from tourism volume toward value, particularly as travel becomes more expensive.
It identified authenticity, service quality, storytelling and ease of booking as elements that can translate into longer stays, increased spending and repeat visits.
Rodriguez said the region should package its destinations into compelling experiences, connect them through efficient transportation and digital systems, and invest in quality, infrastructure, enterprises and communities.*
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