Ahead of a change to university entrance exams that places more focus on speaking abilities, as well as the Tokyo 2020 Games, a growing number of Japanese are opting to travel to the Philippines to study English at a low cost.
The number of Japanese visitors to the Philippines has steadily risen in the last few years, reaching 584,180 in 2017 — up 9.1 percent from a year earlier. The increase has been supported by demand from students and services industry workers who want to put themselves in an English-speaking environment.
"The number of travelers aiming to study English (in the Philippines) is surging. About 100 Japanese junior high and high schools implemented study abroad programs in 2017," said an official at the Tokyo office of the Philippines Department of Tourism in a telephone interview.