The number of Filipinos in Italy continues to grow

Tens of thousands of Filipinos continue to travel to European countries for tourism or business purposes.

Italian Ambassador to the Philippines Marco Clemente stated that the embassy has issued 35,000 visas so far this year, representing a 50 percent increase from the 23,000 issued in 2022. Approximately one-third of the visas issued are for seafarers, while the remainder is for tourists and Filipinos visiting family members, as reported by globalnation.inquirer.net.

"I think we are a very interesting country to visit. But I also hope that there will be more interest in the Philippines as a place to do business," said Marco Clemente during the grand opening of the Italian visa center in Taguig.

The Italian Embassy in Manila recently inaugurated visa centers in four key cities in the Philippines, the main one in Taguig, and three others in Cebu, Batangas, and Davao.

The embassy emphasized that these facilities are state-of-the-art, offering additional services such as premium lounges, filing during the best times outside of normal business hours, personalized services, and translation services. Visa applicants also have access to dedicated call center support, click-and-talk, web chat, email, and chatbot services.

"The Philippines is a key source for the tourism and business market for Italy, and we are taking all possible measures to facilitate and optimize processes for travelers. The establishment of these new centers is an important step towards a strategy to further develop our bilateral relations," emphasized Marco Clemente.

According to the Italian statistical office, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica, in 2008, 113,686 Filipinos lived in Italy, marking a significant increase from the 105,675 recorded the previous year.