Why isn't the Phil's a popular destination from the UK/EU? Ricky sums up a lot of what the west sees wrong with the Phils
Many Brit's aren't even that sure where the Phil's is, and those who do know realise that it's stuck on the wrong side of the South China Sea, which means flight times of a further 3 or 4 hours. There is a lack of direct flights from UK/EU to Ph. With the demise of KLM's service, there will be no direct flights after April 2012. Most package tourists with a couple of kids in tow can't be bothered with transfers and waiting around in airport lounges for hours. They want to get on a plane and head straight to their destination. Thailand and Malaysia cater far better for EU tourists with direct flights to Bangkok, Phucket, Penang, Langkawi and KL.
Additionally, the Phil's doesnt promote itself in EU the way that Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia or even Vietnam or Cambodia do. When I tell people I'm going to Ph, they give the impression they think it's a filthy unsophisticated back water (which in all honesty, much of it is), but when I've said I'm going to Singapore, Hong Kong, Brunei, Borneo, Malaysia, Thailand or Vietnam they all want to talk about it and say how much they would love to go there and see such and such sites. TV travel programmes here regularly feature other SEA destinations and show them in a good light. People here know far more about Vietnam or Cambodia than Ph, and they've only been on the general tourist map for the last 10 years.
The only time we hear of Ph on TV is when 100's of people are killed by a typhoon, or when 50 people are killed in a bus crash, or if someone is kidnapped. There is a very negative opinion of the Phil's in Europe.
If I'm honest, I've become disollusioned by the Phil's, I feel qualified to say that as I have travelled there a lot in the last 2 or 3 years, 8 times in fact. I've also travelled around a lot of other parts of SEA, and my opinion is that what I've seen elsewhere in SEA is much better suited to tourists than in PH, the food is much better, everything is cheaper (except HK/SG), the infrastructure is better, i don't feel that everyone is out to scam me at every opportunity. The truth is, if my g/f wasn't a Pinay, I wouldn't go back to the Phil's for many of the reasons Ricky has stated plus the other reasons I've stated.
The Phils could become a great tourist destination if it invested properly, but as we all know, the people at the top are quite happy to cream off the money needed for investment for themselves.
edit: The Pinoys working in the toursim and service industry in PH also need to welcome tourists and cater for them, instead of seeing them as a target to scam/rip off. If they actively welcome tourists, give them a good service rather than the impression they are trying to rip them off, they might see a few more tourists which in turn will help boost tourism numbers and of course their income. Most Pinoy's only think about today and what they can make today, they can't look into the future and plan for it.
