The Department of Tourism said it was not surprised that Philippines dropped in tourism rankings, but it was doing its best to improve inbound visits.

"The Department of Tourism's (DOT) does not find surprising the slight drop of the Philippines' ranking in the latest Travel and Competitive Report," DOT said in a statement Tuesday.

The DOT said it also "takes cognizance of the 2017 WEF Report released this week as a significant study, a useful resource in planning and prioritization."

Philippines' tourism ranking dropped five notches, according to the 2017 World Economic Forum's (WEF) Travel and Competitive Report.

This year, the country ranked 79th out of 136 countries, while it ranked 74th out of 141 countries in 2015.

The country's rating was dragged down by its lack of cultural resources and business travel. Other factors included ground and port infrastructure and air transport infrastructure.

In 2016, the country received 5.4 million visitor arrivals, according to the WEF report.

But DOT said the administration was "certainly taking steps to boost tourism sustainability and inclusivity, by improving business climate and creating jobs with new policies and measures being instituted at both national and local levels."

DOT said it was working to relax visa policy and process, especially on China, with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, and the Bureau of Immigration.

The department's 2016 and 2017 budgets were reduced due to the completion of activities in the previous administration's National Tourism Development Plan.

Improvements and new construction at major international airports are currently being fast-tracked under the Public-Partnership Program programs, DOT added.