MANILA -- The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said that it expects at least a 30% increase in arrivals on the first day of the opening of the country’s borders to foreign tourists.

According to BI port operations division (POD) chief Atty. Carlos Capulong, they are expecting almost 7,000 arrivals today, a significant increase from Feb 9’s 4,816 arrivals.

Most of the expected travelers to the country are Filipinos, while they project around 27% will be foreign nationals.

The BI earlier announced the opening of the country to international tourism starting Feb. 10. Fully vaccinated foreign nationals may be allowed entry subject to the presentation of required documents as set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente instructed port personnel to remain vigilant and ensure only eligible aliens will be allowed entry.

Morente shared that they expect that families, loved ones, and partners of Filipinos will be among those who will arrive on the first wave of tourist arrivals.

“Many unmarried couples and families have long lobbied for the reopening of our borders for them to be reunited with their loved ones,” said Morente. “We expect that some of the first to arrive here will be those who wish to be together with their families,” he added.

Morente said that the BI projects that the numbers could rise up to 10-12k arrivals per day in the succeeding months.

“Hopefully everything goes well as we transition towards the new normal,” said Morente.

“We see this as the start of the recovery of the tourism industry which we hope will renew its vigor as in the previous years,” he added. (BI)