What are the problems in tourism in the Philippines?

Answer 1

In terms of tourists, the Philippines has a much smaller share than neighbouring countries, with a clear absence of Western holidaymakers. Tourists to the Philippines mostly come from neighboring Asian countries (Japan, China, ASEAN, South Korea). This can be a baffling topic as the Philippines itself is a country that consists of over 7,100 tropical islands in the western Pacific Ocean and South China Sea. The country is one of a few English speaking nations in Asia, and has an empathetic view towards both western and eastern cultures, as the population are primarily Malayo-Polynesian peoples with some Chinese admixture, and the country was colonized by Spain for 300 years and then occupied by the US for a further 50. But despite all of this, the fact remains that the Philippines is underachieving in the tourist industry. Here are a few reasons and problems facing the tourist industry that (I think) are tantamount in trying to ascertain solutions in future.

One of the biggest problems facing tourism in the Philippines would have to be the incessantly negative portrayals of the country used by foreign media (BBC, CNN, Aljazeera etc) which have, since the Asian financial crisis of 1997, really damaged the country's image, detracting many would-be tourists from even coming to the country, in preference of the traditional Southeast Asian destinations (Bali, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam). The BBC's John McLean had even tried to answer this question, but without shelling off alot of the malignant attitudes typically found among Europeans and Americans of the country:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2638423.stm

(You won't find an unbiased answer there, sadly.)

As the international broadcast news groups tend to be believed without question, a lot of the negatives persistently shown of the country, most notoriously those of terrorism and outdated poverty statistics (quoted in 2005 by the BBC to be 50% of the population, the actual figure being between 20-25% in 2003 according to the NCSB (http://www.nscb.gov.ph/technotes/poverty/partii/development_2.asp)) tend to affect the consciences of many would-be travellers, who would rather go to a destination with, what they'd might think, has less-outward signs of a financially contrasted society (or at least a country that has a government, democratic or otherwise, committed to hiding these contrasts).

If tourists ever do make it to the Philippines, they often are baffled on where to go, what to see, what to do etc, due to the Philippine governments efforts placed in defense, economy and national infrastructure (airport/expressway building, extension of rail system etc) in contrast to other more tourist-friendly neighbors like Thailand or Malaysia, who already have the necessary infrastructure and economic stability needed to build on their tourism departments. A lack of budget for the tourism department means they could only do so much before funds run out; hence there are no walk-in Tourist Information Centers or detailed brochures are present in the country outside of a few sites in Manila. Again, a lack of these could stem from the damage the media has played in making less tourists come to the country, and a lack of confidence on behalf of the government to address this issue.

Transportation is a problem as well, being what could be described as "closed-shop". A lot of the baffling transfers and the in's and out's of what to say or do whilst riding Jeepneys or Tricycles are facts well known by locals, but aren't given a comprehensive section on the major travel books made on the country. Tourists would then have to settle for dodgy taxis that jack fares up when encountering tourists. Again, the government's lack of foresight and emphasis on improving methods of transport and tackling these Taxi drivers are to blame as well.

Another area worth mentioning is that of a lack of pedestrian safety. The Philippine population are not partial to walking outdoors or taking bicycles in contrast to other Asian neighbors, and are rather much more comfortable with the "Mall culture" present in North America, thus many main streets in major cities and towns tend to be empty of consumer shops and pedestrians. With a lack of the middle-classes using the sidewalks, many streetside gangs use them as bases to mug or pester pedestrians (most of the time, in the same financial bracket as they are). In light of this, muggings are known to have happened to (mostly East Asian) tourists who had assumed that walking to their destinations in Manila or Cebu City would be as safe as in their origin countries. Tourist guides and the local government could thus be blamed for (1) not informing tourists of the non-pedestrian-inclined culture of the country and (2) for not taking measures to disband these streetside gangs and make moves to establish a more pedestrian-friendly urban culture.

In the end, the most decisive matter in the tourism industry's weak successes with the Philippines is that after more than 30 years without large numbers of tourists, due to media campaigns of what is usually branded by locals as "Philippines bashing", the government and its people no longer see their country as a major tourist destination and no efforts are being made to make the country more tourist friendly outside of closed resorts and sights. Also, any efforts to try and change the country's image in local and international media is falling on deaf ears, and with the exception of a smaller flow of loyal Asian domestic tourists, the country cannot seem to advertise itself well enough for the Western markets, and so is focusing its efforts on maintaining and building on its comfortable flow of "weekend tourists" from neighboring Asian countries while it continues to develop the country's economy.