Thea Tan, a Filipino, posted on her X account in May expressing frustration over the Philippines’ underwhelming tourism numbers despite offering what other countries dream of: breathtaking beaches, vibrant culture, incredible food, and the warmest locals.
“So, why are tourists still choosing Thailand, Vietnam, and Bali over us?” she asked.
The post quickly went viral, accumulating over 9,000 likes and hundreds of comments.
In the first quarter of the year, Malaysia topped the list of most-visited Southeast Asian countries, with 10.1 million arrivals, followed by Thailand (9.55 million), Vietnam (6 million), and Singapore (4.3 million).
By April, the Philippines had only welcomed 2.1 million visitors.
In 2024, the country saw 5.9 million foreign tourists, falling short of the government’s target of 7.7 million and far behind its regional neighbors including Cambodia, which had 6.7 million visitors.
Many online users, like Tan, argue that the Philippines is not considered a top priority destination in ASEAN.
“We are tiring out tourists with poor infrastructure and complicated transportation,” Tan noted.
Even locals find domestic travel expensive and difficult, let alone for foreign visitors, according to comments on the post.
“The Philippines has beautiful beaches, delicious food, and friendly people, but it lacks roads, reliable airports, and public transportation. Most importantly, the prices here are too high,” one local shared.
Another netizen pointed out, “In all the countries you’ve mentioned, their capitals are also tourist destinations. Manila, on the other hand, is boring for tourists. We don’t have decent museums or historical tours, and moving around in Manila is not easy either.”
A netizen added, “The government isn’t investing in quality tourist facilities and infrastructure like our neighboring countries. That’s where we’re lagging behind.”
Recently, the Philippines was ranked as the most dangerous destination by U.K. financial comparison site HelloSafe in a survey dismissed by the Philippines’ tourism experts as biased and misleading.
Victor Lim, president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, emphasized that the Philippines must improve its infrastructure and enhance safety measures to establish itself as a leading tourist destination in Southeast Asia, Philstar reported.
Edieser dela Santa, a lecturer at the Asian Tourism Institute at the University of the Philippines, stated that the Philippines is still recovering from Covid-19 more slowly than its neighbors and has a lot of work ahead, especially in improving access from major tourist markets, the South China Morning Post reported.
He pointed out that Manila currently has fewer direct flights from regional cities than Bangkok or Jakarta, and only one European airline operates direct flights to the Philippine capital. In contrast, Bangkok receives weekly direct flights from major cities like Paris, London, and Rome.
