Philippine Tourism: An Overview
The Philippines is a beautiful and archipelagic country. On top of its natural and
cultural/heritage attractions are the friendliest, most hardworking and considered the most
hospitable people in the world. Filipinos are bilingual, making it easy for foreign tourists to
communicate with locals of different destinations.
The Philippines has several UNESCO world heritage sites. These include the cultural Baroque Churches of
the Philippines, such as the San Agustin Church in Manila, Paoay church in locos Norte, Sta. Maria
Church in llocos Sur, and Miag-ao in lloilo.
The Historic town of Vigan and the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are among those listed
under cultural heritage. Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlite Sanctuary in Eastern Mindanao, Puerto
Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park in Palawan are
also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites Natural category. The Philippines is also home to the
internationally acclaimed white sand beaches of Boracay, Coron, El Nido, and Panglao.
Tourism in the Philippines has become a valuable economic, social, and cultural driver. Its impacts have
been lar and wide based on arrival rates each year. Based on origin, international tourism and domestic
tourism are the two distinct types of tourism.
International tourism refers to tourism that crosses national borders while domestic tourism is defined
as travel made within one’s country of residence.
There is no discounting the tact that with cheaper and easier ways of travel, social media, and higher
disposable income, more and more people will be traveling within and outside their countries. As
domestic tourism develops, Economic and socio-cultural impacts and environmental protection need to
be addressed.
Economic Aspect
On the economic vantage point, domestic tourism contributes vastly in increasing country’s economic
activity. ln the Philippines, domestic tourism activity has become increasingly high. Domestic tourists
outnumber international to ten times more. Domestic tourism expenditure, which includes expenditure
or resident visitors within the country either as domestic trip or part of an international trip, has grown
because of tourism.
In terms of employment, tourism and related industries have grown considerably: 1 out of 10 jobs are
tourism-related
Socio-cultural Aspect
The Philippine culture is a blend of the Malay-Polynesian, Hispanic, and Western
cultures with some influence from the Chinese and other Asian cultures. Having Spain
colonizes us for more than 300years and the Americans thereafter, have made the Filipinos a melting
pot of different cultures. With the increasing number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and
international travel, the Filipino culture continues to evolve.
Filipinos have a very strong sense of family and kapwa (others). This is evident in the way we
give importance to our relationships with others. The Filipinos are known to be one of the most
hospitable people in the world wherein we think of others as part of themselves and their family.
Filipinos are also lovers of art in many forms. Music is an integral part of the Filipino
culture as evidenced by singing. dancing, and playing musical instruments. The town
fiestas celebrated in different parts of the country 1s a testimony of the Filipinos faith and
gratefulness to patron saints where many religious activities, street dancing. singing and
eating are part of the celebration.
Environmental Protection
One of the major threats to environmental protection is the continuous growth of tourism industry. The
implementation of laws and other policies in favor of the environment has to be strictly enforced tor
tourism development to be sustainable.
The Philippines has the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR to oversee the
protection of the environment in line with proposed tourism development in various areas.
The 4 As of Tourism
The succeeding chapters are organized in a manner that is in line with the 4 As of
tourism access, attractions, accommodations, and activities. The 4 As need to be addressed
tor domestic tourism to flourish in any destination.
Access- Land, sea, and air access to and from the destination as well as within the destination should
be relatively fast and easy. Tourists would not want to be traveling the whole day: They prefer to be
spending time on the destination than on the bus, boat, or plane. Roads, bridges, and ports should be
developed to acceptable levels to accommodate the influx of tourists.
Attractions- The main reason tourists go to a destination is because of its attractions.
the attractions can be cultural/heritage/historic, natural, and/or built/man-made. There should be a
good mix of these three types tor good variety.
Accommodations- There should be a wide range of accommodations that vary from budget, midrange, and deluxe. This way, the destination can attract tourists from a wide demographic profile.
Accommodations should include the most basic needs of a comfortable bed, clean toilets, and food
services. Wi-Pi access is becoming a necessity for tourist to connect with their loved ones.
Activities-The destination should also offer a variety of activities located close to each other. The
activities should be connected to each other with varyıng degrees within a similar theme. Themes would
include adventure, health and wellness, medical, sports, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and
events), etc. For example, if a destination wants to be known as an adventure destination, then activities
should range from soft, medium, and hard adventure activities. A good mix of activities will keep tourists
to stay longer and spend more.
As local tourism in the country exceeds international tourist arrivals by as much as 10 times, destination
managers cannot disregard the contribution that local tourists make.
Hence, activities, accommodations, and amenities should also be designed with the local tourist in mind.
In fact, many tourist facilities such as hotels and resorts have acknowledged the tact that majority of its
guests are local tourists.