Why Philippines is not a favourite tourist destination ?

[Terpe]

According to a recent news item the Filipino tourist’s most favorite place to visit is not Boracay, nor Palawan or Cebu.
Metro Manila is the top destination of the domestic tourist, according to the results of the 2010 Household Survey on Domestic Visitors released in late November.

National Capital Region had 7.124 million local travelers and 3.021 million of them said the purpose of their visit to the NCR was pleasure or vacation.

The survey’s travel time frame is April to September last year. It was conducted by the National Statistics Office and the Department of Tourism.

A far second favorite destination of Filipino tourists is Cavite with about 713,000 vacationing travelers.

Negros Occidental, Batangas, and Bulacan round up the top five.

Capiz, which is the province nearest Boracay, had only 236,000 domestic tourists passing through it and was ranked 20th. Tarlac did better than Capiz with 285,000 pleasure trippers.

Palawan, where the Puerto Princesa Underground River is, did not even make it to the top 20 list of the NSO-DOT survey.

The survey said Lanao del Sur in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao had 502,000 vacationing tourists, ranked 9th and drew more travelers than Pampanga, Iloilo, and Cebu

[grahamw48]

Compares to 5 million (tourist) visitors per year to my home city of York, with 100,000 population.

[gWaPito]

I wonder what percentage of the 7 million are from Europe...I suggest the majority of them eat dog and play tiddliy winks for entertainment

[grahamw48]

Eh ?

More please.

[Terpe]

I wonder what percentage of the 7 million are from Europe...I suggest the majority of them eat dog and play tiddliy winks for entertainment

Whoops!!
Normally gWaPito you present a very interesting viewpoint and one that I quite often find compatible with my own.

However, this time, you lost me one dear boy
Maybe a translation is needed? or even just a single just a 'word'.

No offence.

[grahamw48]

Korean.

[gWaPito]

Whoops!!
Normally gWaPito you present a very interesting viewpoint and one that I quite often find compatible with my own.

However, this time, you lost me one dear boy
Maybe a translation is needed? or even just a single just a 'word'.

No offence.

None taken Terpes, I was just having some fun
At least Graham saw the funny side ....' Dear boy'...my 80 yo mother called me that when we visited last Tuesday.

Are you sure your not older than the 60 years you claim to be

No offence intended

[malditako]

Korean.

i agree they bloody spread like fires...not just as a tourist but a student. I hate it as they now all over state universities studying which should be limited to the filipinos as these uni are funded by the local and national goverment.

[grahamw48]

They do seem to be staging a takeover....also in the red light areas....so I'm told.

[Tawi2]

Why isnt pinas a favourite tourist destination?Well,to be honest if I hadnt any links whatsoever I would have went a few times then scrapped it and moved on,apart from decent beaches and maybe the chocolate hills what else is there to look at?Seen one rice terrace you seen them all to be truthfull,the service in Pinas is often abysmal,not that I am a hotel sort of person,but it is,everything tourist based in pinas seems to revolve around Boracay which is no better than a number of thai islands it seems to try and model itself on A lot of western tourists to pinas arent genuine tourists but husbands/wives/partners of pinays/pinoys,Pinas reminds me of an english speaking indonesia,both have terrorist problems,both are a walk on the wild side with endemic corruption etc and both are hassle to travel around at times,small wonder places like thailand,malaysia,cambodia,laos etc are preferred destinations,saying that pinas is ok,its got a certain charm

[Tawi2]

Your first views of a country usually leave a lasting impression,if a pinoy Tourism minister wants to brighten the countrys initial image he should do something about those sharks that masquerade as taxi-drivers at NAIA I havent met an honest manila taxi driver in years In fact I detest flying into manila,nowadays I fly into Cebu or even better Davao,have any of you landed at Davao international?Its like a totally different planet from NAIA,the Taxi drivers are pleasant,they bang the meter on as soon as your in Dabawenyo taxi-drivers should front the poster campaign for any pinoy tourist drive

[Englishman2010]

Your first views of a country usually leave a lasting impression,if a pinoy Tourism minister wants to brighten the countrys initial image he should do something about those sharks that masquerade as taxi-drivers at NAIA I havent met an honest manila taxi driver in years In fact I detest flying into manila,:

My sentiments too, and I agree with your post before about the reasons why most westerners are there Although I doubt Taxi drivers in Bangkok, Phnom Penn or Ho Chi Minh are any more honest than Manila cabbies I'm sure I'll find out on my next couple of trips to Asia when I try out cabs in Bangkok and HCMC.
I like some parts of the Phil's and have enjoyed most of my time there, but feel I've seen all I want to see there now and have only gone back so many time because of connections there, but the time has come to see other countries. Maybe I'll head back to the Phils in 2013 after a bit of a break

[Tawi2]

Although I doubt Taxi drivers in Bangkok, Phnom Penn or Ho Chi Minh are any more honest than Manila cabbies

Been to all of those places,and while the taxi drivers are maybe also not 100% honest they arent as unpleasant,several times I have jumped out of a cab after just leaving NAIA en-route for a destination,we have agreed a price,then as we exit the airport the taxi-driver will turn and thinking he is clever say another price even though we had agreed a minute or so earlier?Better just avoid Manila and fly into Cebu or Davao,a whole sight pleasanter and Davao in particular just feels a whole lot pleasanter and like a breath of fresh air Might be why I am going there next week(and avoiding manila like the plague).

[Englishman2010]

Been to all of those places,and while the taxi drivers are maybe also not 100% honest they arent as unpleasant,.

Do you mean they smile and thank you while they are ripping you off
I've managed to suss out the airport taxi's now, the Taxi touts who hassle you as you leave the arrivals gate will charge 1000-1500, the Yellow official Taxis charge 400-500 to Makati, the metered taxis upstairs will charge around 200-250 if you bargain hard and tell them you have made the journey dozens of times. It still annoys me that a metred taxi the other way round from Makati to NAIA is only 120 -150.
Although we moan about Manila taxi's they are still cheap in comparison, a typical journey around manila costs about £2. An official airport metered taxi in Singapore or Hong Kong for a similar distance will cost at least £20-£25, but they are metred and we dont complain. In London it would be £30-£40 to get from Heathrow to about 5 miles away

[Moy]

I think its a combination of factors – unmaintained museums, very uninteresting too, heavy traffic but as you go farther away from the cities, it gets better. There are just few first class accomodations in some of the best beaches in the Philippines. Another problem is the insurgency led by the NPAs and the Muslim separatists.

But it’s getting better and better each day. Loads of changes going on . Lots of foreigners living here actually. I see more and more of them, even in far flung areas, to my surprise really.

[Tawi2]

Lots of foreigners living here actually. I see more and more of them, even in far flung areas

You just described the UK

[grahamw48]

Especially the taxi drivers here.

Les would stand out like a sore thumb in a lot of cities....AND he has a REAL licence.

[Moy]

You just described the UK

whatever tawi.. wherever you are on part of the earth there are pro and cons to consider

[Tawi2]

Its when there are more cons than pros that things dont look so well from a tourism point of view Moy If you were tourism minsiter for pinas how would you promote it so it shone above thailand for instance?What would you highlight so people flew the extra few hours and came to Manila instead of Bangkok?Gimmee an idea?

[Moy]

Manila instead of Bangkok?Gimmee an idea?

tawi my friend calm down....talking about Manila that reminds me of Overall Manila has massive potential. Another issue in the areas is a huge lack of good hotels to accomodate tourism. Tourists going to the PI will want a very trendy nice hotel to stay at. And they can’t get that in the area in big numbers. There’s Pan Pacific and Manila Hotel and Holiday Inn but I think we need a major and amazing hotel to really highlight the area as the three are not really touristy hotels but rather business hotels.
and if i would be a tourism ministry i will promote PH by leaflets i suppose
btw personally i would rather promote my hometown Davao City

[Tawi2]

I am sorry Miss Moy,we are unable to offer you the job of philippine tourist minister at this present moment in time,perhaps when you have a well-drafted and clear proposal to totally remould the tourist infrastructure of the country you could contact us again?

[Moy]

well-drafted and clear proposal to totally remould the tourist infrastructure of the country you could contact us again?

no need to say sorry Mr Tawi boy ala sabungero as i work full time already and no need a additional headache job like that about tourism

[Tawi2]

And it would help if "Accurate" tourism figures were collated,not returninmg balikbayans or dual-nationality pinoys or their spouses,children or partners,foreign tourists with no attachments whatsoever to pinas,that would shrink the figures dramatically I think?

[Moy]

that would shrink the figures dramatically I think?

i would return to pinas being broadcast to Maala-ala mo kaya in ABS-CBN TO promote my tourism

[Tawi2]

Sorry Moy,I already gave the job to someone else,he who hesitates is lost and all that

[Moy]

I already gave the job to someone else,he who hesitates is lost and all that

i am full time in job right now tawi and i genuinely dont need a headache for that kind of job im afraid

[ConfusedMe]

The sad thing about these drivers too, they victimized their fellow Filipinos which is not good at all.

Your first views of a country usually leave a lasting impression,if a pinoy Tourism minister wants to brighten the countrys initial image he should do something about those sharks that masquerade as taxi-drivers at NAIA I havent met an honest manila taxi driver in years In fact I detest flying into manila,nowadays I fly into Cebu or even better Davao,have any of you landed at Davao international?Its like a totally different planet from NAIA,the Taxi drivers are pleasant,they bang the meter on as soon as your in Dabawenyo taxi-drivers should front the poster campaign for any pinoy tourist drive

[Tawi2]

btw personally i would rather promote my hometown Davao City

Moy,amen to that,Davao is like a seperate country,totally different from Manila,I always feel relaxed when Landing at the new airport,no stress,no hordes or rush or hassle outside,polite taxi drivers,the people are happier,friendlier,its an oasis in a maelstromic sea..............Oh,almost forgot (soulmate)and the women are prettier in Davao than anywhere else in Pinas

[Moy]

Oh,almost forgot (soulmate)and the women are prettier in Davao than anywhere else in Pinas

he he you yourself had witness that and i think you got idea how i look like itlself..i supposed my dear tawi

[malditako]

lots of first class tourist destination in phils just that average foreign tourist dont want to spend way too much on holidays if not cannot afford...for example amanpulo in palawan with a stunning 700 pounds a day with a minimum 3 day stay...only millionaire would spend money like that.