After going visa-free, Philippines sees 28% surge in travel searches from India, says Atlys

Mumbai: Travel searches for the Philippines from India rose 28 per cent after the Southeast Asian country announced visa-free entry, according to visa processing platform Atlys.

The Philippines had recently announced visa-free entry to Indian nationals for stays of up to 14 days.

Earlier, the Philippines ranked as the eighth most searched Southeast Asian destination among Indian travellers on the Atlys platform.

"After the announcement, it swiftly climbed to third place, trailing only Thailand and Indonesia. The sudden repositioning underscores the significant impact visa accessibility can have on destination interest, particularly within India's fast-growing outbound travel market," the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Based on trends seen in similar cases, the platform expects a 20-30 per cent rise in sustained demand over the coming months.

"The removal of visa restrictions has clearly lowered the friction for planning travel. With this policy shift, it's no longer a distant consideration, it's an immediate contender," Atlys founder and CEO Mohak Nahta said.

Data from Atlys further revealed that the search is mainly driven by couples and honeymooners, with 42 per cent of all recent Philippines-related searches on the platform.

It is followed by solo travellers at 27 per cent, with most of the interest originating from major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru.

Families accounted for another 21 per cent, many of whom are planning multi-stop itineraries that combine beach escapes like Palawan and Cebu with urban experiences in Manila.

The platform is also seeing a noticeable uptick in interest from first-time international travellers, many of whom are now considering the Philippines as a viable option thanks to the removal of visa-related barriers that would have previously discouraged such plans, according to the data.

Adding to this momentum, Air India has announced non-stop flights between Delhi and Manila starting October 1, 2025, which will help in improving accessibility.