The Philippines will tighten visa requirements for Chinese tourists this week amid "numerous fraudulent applications" the ministry has filed with embassies and consulates in China, according to Jesus Domingo, the Philippines' deputy minister for private security and consular affairs, as quoted by local media outlets.

Domingo was quoted as saying in a news briefing on Thursday that the Philippines needed to tighten visa issuance rules over concerns over cases of "unauthorized acquisition" visas by Chinese applicants in mainland China, as well as criminal groups that targeted some Chinese arrivals to hire illegal Philippine offshore game operators (POGOs).

"We are seeing more quality tourists, not POGO [workers], although our [diplomatic] positions are calling for a new tourism push," Mr Domingo said, as quoted by local media.

The official said the tightening of visa requirements was aimed at removing "illegal and unsavory" tourists from legal ones. "We will take action from this week," he added.

The visa strengthening conditions include requiring visa applicants to present social security documents issued by the Chinese government.

The Philippine foreign ministry will also continue to require visa applicants in China to present their employment certificates and bank statements, Domingo said, adding that it will scrutinize them in a "more cautious" manner.

Philippine authorities also reported that the number of visa applicants for Chinese people to travel in groups will be increased from the current three to at least 10.

The Philippine government launched a pilot program for an electronic visa system for Chinese visitors in August last year. The plan was later suspended in November.

China is one of the largest sources of foreign tourists in the Philippines. In the first four months of 2024, China received fewer than 2 million foreign tourists, an increase of 16.8% year-on-year, official data showed.

China was in the top three with about 141,153 visitors in the first four months of the year, accounting for about 6.5% of all arrivals. The figure was up 104.8% from the previous year.

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