Visa-free stay in the Philippines

The Department of Tourism announced that the government granted a 30-day visa-free status for travellers coming from 166 countries in a bid to boost tourism.  Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said foreign retirees who choose to stay in the Philippines will “automatically get a six-month visa.”

By yearend, senior citizens from other countries will likely get “rights to senior discounts,” he said.  “We are now working with the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Department of Finance on the mechanics of such a move.”

The government is trying to attain a target of 12 million tourist arrivals by 2016.