TOURISM IN THE PHILIPPINES

Recently I saw this Tourism chart, I don't how accurate it is. Remember when the saying was: Don't believe anything you hear and only half what you see, well with IT, Social Media & News Reporting who knows what.Well AnywaysTourism from January through August this year here are the numbers.(1) Malaysia 28.2 M(2) Thailand 21.9 M(3) Vietnam 13.9 M(4) Singapore 11.6 M(5) Indonesia 10 M(6) Philippines 4 MOut of that 4 M, 3.9 M came for the aerobics. - @Enzyte Bob

I have seen several videos expressing this. The Philippines is at the bottom. AI confirms my suspicion about the main reason for the drop: Covid19. Other countries recovered by we did not.

1. COVID-19 Pandemic & Slow Recovery 

   - This was the initial shock that collapsed arrivals worldwide. 

   - The Philippines imposed some of the strictest and longest border closures in Southeast Asia, which delayed recovery compared to neighbors like Thailand and Vietnam. 

   - Even after reopening, the country struggled to regain momentum because travelers had already shifted to destinations that reopened earlier and marketed aggressively."

It just may be the case that Tourism is not a primary focus here anymore. There is no more mass marketing for international tourists such as "WOW Philippines".

Not sure how you get to that conclusion about Covid, Dan - it is losing status as a tourist destination due to all the issues that never get resolved and which have been aired online ad-nauseum -  high prices for food and lodging relative to other nearby countries, poor infrastructure, difficult travel logistics, trash problems and more.

For those of us who have made it home, it has stunning beauty and many benefits which balance out the problems, and we learn to have patience, but that's probably not enough for many tourists.

Not sure how you get to that conclusion about Covid, Dan - it is losing status as a tourist destination due to all the issues that never get resolved and which have been aired online ad-nauseum - high prices for food and lodging relative to other nearby countries, poor infrastructure, difficult travel logistics, trash problems and more.
For those of us who have made it home, it has stunning beauty and many benefits which balance out the problems, and we learn to have patience, but that's probably not enough for many tourists. - @pnwcyclist

I see your point, however, tourism has never returned to pre-pandemic levels so, based on that, might someone suspect that the pandemic had something to do with it? And understand that Chinese and Korean tourists number much higher than Westerners yet you do not mention the pandemic cancelation of e-visas for Chinese or crimes against Koreans to the point where their government has published travel warnings. The Philippine government seems to take no effort to resolve those. These 2 things had a large effect and actually, the things you mention are very true but they were also true back when Philippine tourism was high, pre-covid.

Here in Boracay we have an airport which is only a few miles away. However,  the length of the runway does not allow international flights or flights with Boeing aircraft. So you need to go thru the chaotic airport of Manila to come here. Next you need to take a van or a tricycle to the jetty port. A small ferry with a steep footbridge awaits you. Not very pleasant when you are older. Next comes a 10 minutes ride to Boracay island. There awaits you another steep footbridge to go up to the port where you can take a bus or etrike to your hotel or condo. There you discover that the beach is nice but not better than the beaches in Florida or Mexico. Most people are not coming back after this experience. So, tourism in Boracay is for the people of the Philippines and not for foreigners anymore. There are foreigners but their number is very limited. Most of them have partners from the Philippines.

Happy new Year

Andy from Boracay (9 years in the Philippines)

@Enzyte Bob

Out of that 4 M, 3.9 M came for the aerobics.

😂😂😂

Here in Boracay we have an airport which is only a few miles away. However, the length of the runway does not allow international flights or flights with Boeing aircraft. So you need to go thru the chaotic airport of Manila to come here. Next you need to take a van or a tricycle to the jetty port. A small ferry with a steep footbridge awaits you. Not very pleasant when you are older. Next comes a 10 minutes ride to Boracay island. There awaits you another steep footbridge to go up to the port where you can take a bus or etrike to your hotel or condo. There you discover that the beach is nice but not better than the beaches in Florida or Mexico. Most people are not coming back after this experience. So, tourism in Boracay is for the people of the Philippines and not for foreigners anymore. There are foreigners but their number is very limited. Most of them have partners from the Philippines.
Happy new Year
Andy from Boracay (9 years in the Philippines) - @Andy_1963

Well yes and no. Be careful what you wish for. Agreed the access to the island is restrictive but the extension of the airport runway to allow large intercontinental jets to fly in direct would be the ruination of what was once a secluded escape.  Unlike for example Bohol there is only one beach. How many people can you cram onto a beach?

One potential disaster in the making is the new airport planned for Dumaguete. Would you honestly say that Sibulan has reached maximum capacity? Plans have been submitted to build a new airport in Bacong which sits beside Dauin and some beautiful beaches coupled with many dive resorts. Once the project gets started the southern highway will become clogged with construction and supply vehicles for years. When the jets start arriving you won't be enjoying that Cubre Libre in silence anymore. The prevailing winds are either SW or NE so you will have the choice of aircraft either taking off or landing.

My neighbour has a property in Dauin and is looking to sell the land for development while he can. My hunch is its too late. Several dive resorts have already closed but not because of access.

Yes the Philippines needs to improve its infrastructure but without the cack handed planning that goes with it.

I actually love Boracay and have visited twice. I do understand what Andy said about the difficulty of getting there but the last time I visited (November), I paid the premium for a resort transfer and everything ran smoothly. Of course the charge for me was higher than my filipina girlfriend and that grates a bit. We flew in from Cebu and not Manila. I actually like to stay in Boracay or any other tourist spot longer than most people recommend so I can have a couple of lazy days just swimming in the ocean or pool after I have done the Island Hopping tour and the adventure stuff.

For me as a tourist who visits yearly it is about not taking on too much  and finding time to relax besides doing all the normal tourist things so I tend to fly to my girlfriends home city and take a couple of trips from there during my 3 to 4 weeks there. I would never follow one of the video itineraries I see where they try to pack in so many different Islands in a 2 or 3 week tour, simply too much for me.

The infrastructure is bad, the roads are full of pot holes making what seems like a short journey long, trikes and jeepneys pull up anywhere and slow traffic, accommodation prices are high and transportation costs more than in neighbouring countries. The offers that Cebu Pacific put out are not great either when taxes and extras are added on and a price of 600 pesos can easily end up being 4k plus. One of the reasons I have never been to Palawan is that I have heard people talking about long coach rides to get from the airport to the hotel or resort. Resort and other fees are also a pain. On my recent visit to Moalboal we reached a check point near the resort and had to pay a fee. In my opinion the food is way inferior to other countries also and Red Horse tastes like piss. I once went into an Irish Bar in Makati and guess what, no Guinness. Ordering food and been told five minutes later it is not available is also a bug bear of mine and ordering food in a group when the last dish comes about 20 minutes after the first. How difficult is it to blank food items out that are not available or put a line through the item with a marker pen on the menu?