To be honest if I were a gap-year backpacking student I wouldnt find Pinas remotely interesting compared to tourist friendly thailand located near Cambodia,vietnam,lao etc so people can do multiple countries in one trip,Pinas has never been marketed properly,I remember seeing a projection of tourist numbers to Pinas years ago and thinking "The people who put this together are smoking crack" Pinas needs a foreigner to market it properly,other wise its always going to be just a niche destination without appeal to the masses.