The insights are based on card-present transactions, where both the card and the cardholder are used at the point of sale. Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA) looked closely at local and overseas spending during December and found clear patterns in how Filipinos shop, travel, and celebrate during the holidays.
“Christmas brings people together, and our data underscores the holidays’ enduring socio-cultural and economic significance to the country. For Visa, it’s important that we enable these personal journeys and experiences through payments that are fast, seamless, and secure, so that Filipinos and tourists alike can have meaningful celebrations anywhere across the country and abroad,” said Jeffrey Navarro, Country Manager for Visa Philippines.
Local Rush, Overseas Spree
Filipinos don’t wait until the last minute to shop for Christmas. Visa’s data shows that local card spending rises steadily throughout December. Weekends see clear spikes, with the highest point landing on December 23, the final weekend before Christmas Eve.
This lines up with the familiar holiday rush in malls and shopping areas, as people finish buying gifts and supplies before heading home for family gatherings. After Christmas, local spending starts to slow down. Many Filipinos return to their hometowns or focus more on family time as the New Year approaches.
Overseas spending follows a different pattern. For Filipinos traveling abroad, card use continues to climb even after Christmas Day. Spending peaks around December 29 and slowly eases as the year ends. This suggests that travel, leisure, and vacation shopping continue well into the last days of December.
Christmas Without Borders
The holiday season also brings more foreign spending into the Philippines. Tourists and returning overseas Filipinos use their foreign-issued cards more during this period, adding to the overall rise in transactions. Based on payment volume in U.S. dollars, the top inbound markets are the United States, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.
Holiday spending is not limited to Metro Manila. While Makati and Parañaque lead in transaction volume, several key destinations outside the capital also stand out. Cebu, Angeles, and Davao are among the top cities, showing that Christmas spending is spread across the country, not just in major urban centers.
Spending habits also differ depending on where visitors come from. Travelers from the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong spend more on lodging. Tourists from Taiwan and Japan lean toward entertainment. Indian travelers spend more on education and government-related services, while Canadians and many Americans focus on food and groceries.
Payments Power the Holiday Season
As Christmas continues to shape how people spend, Visa says it remains focused on providing secure and smooth payment experiences for both locals and visitors. These insights show how digital payments support not just shopping, but also travel, family time, and shared experiences during the most festive season of the year.
Rather than changing how Filipinos celebrate, the data simply reflects what has always been true: Christmas is a time when people connect, travel, and spend—both at home and beyond borders.
No comments:
Post a Comment