Tourism in the Philippines

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Boracay, is the best beach in Asia and 2nd in the world....and its also the most famous tourist spots in the Philippines

The Philippines, is an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine archipelago comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The Philippines is a country that contains a myriad of different amalgamated cultures and influences. The superficial face of modern Filipino culture has many more influences from the Western world than other nearby Asian cultures. Most of these influences are a product of previous colonization and derived mainly from the cultures of Spain and the United States, with a secondary influence from Latin American cultures who were under Spain during the same period the Philippines was. Despite the visual Western and Hispanic influences, the older Asian aspects of Filipino culture are seen through the strength of filial piety, family and its influence, emphasis on the group before the individual, the concept of maintaining social harmony, ancient cultural beliefs and mythology, the complexities of local psychology (such as hiya or shame and the concept of saving face), and accepted social etiquette between other Filipinos. Within Asia, this Western-Eastern juxtaposition is most seen in the Philippines, and continues to fascinate many a guest to the country.

History

Philippine tourism flourished in the 1970s and early 1980s but declined in the mid 1980s, with the average length of tourist stay falling from 12.6 days in earlier years to 8.9 days in 1988.^{[citation needed]} In 1987, tourism growth was slower in the Philippines than in other Southeast Asian countries.^{[citation needed]}

Tourism Statistics
Year	Foreign Tourists
1996	2,049,367
1997	2,222,523
1998	2,149,357
1999	2,170,514
2000	1,992,169
2001	1,796,893
2002	1,932,677
2003	1,907,226
2004	2,291,347
2005	2,623,084
2006	2,843,335
2007	3,091,993
2008	3,139,422
2009	3,017,099
2010	3,520,471
2011	3,917,454
* Excluding Filipinos from Abroad

Signs of a faster growth appeared in the early 1990s. About 1.2 million tourists visited the Philippines in 1992, which was a record high in the number of tourist visits since 1989. The tourism growth of the year of 1992 gave the Department of Tourism a reason to forecast a positive outlook for the future years.^{[citation needed]}

In 2000, the Philippines' tourist arrivals totaled 2.2 million. In 2003 it totaled 2,838,000, a growth of almost 29%, and it is expected to grow as much as 3.4 million in 2007. In the first quarter of 2007, the tourist arrival in the Philippines grew as much as 20% in same period last year. In 2011, the Department of Tourism recorded 3.9 million tourists visiting the country, 11.2 percent higher than the 3.5 million registered in 2010.

General information

The Philippines comprises 7,107 islands grouped into three regions, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, covering a land area of 300,000 km². The capital city is Manila, and the time zone is UTC + 8 hours.

Economic benefit

Tourism plays an important role in the Philippine economy. In the year 2000, net tourism income in the Philippines totaled to 2.1 billion U.S. dollars. Most of the foreign tourists came from the United States, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and The Netherlands. There were also tourists coming from Taiwan, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, Israel, Russia, Spain, Poland, France and Singapore. One of the fastest tourist market growth are those from China, and India.

Top 20 Markets by Volume

Rank	country	2009	2010	2011
1	South Korea	497,936	740,622	925,204
2	United States	582,537	600,165	624,527
3	Japan	324,980	358,744	375,496
4	China	155,019	187,446	243,137
5	Chinese Taipei	102,274	142,455	181,738
6	Australia	132,330	147,469	170,736
7	Singapore	98,305	121,083	137,802
8	Canada	99,012	106,345	117,423
9	Hong Kong	122,786	133,746	112,106
10	United Kingdom	91,009	96,925	104,466
11	Malaysia	68,679	79,694	91,752
12	Germany	55,912	58,725	61,193
13	India	32,817	34,581	42,884
14	Guam	39,323	40,928	41,013
15	Thailand	34,212	36,713	37,862
16	Indonesia	29,188	31,997	34,542
17	France	24,572	27,302	29,591
18	Saudi Arabia	19,101	22,214	27,945
19	Switzerland	18,711	21,224	22,335
20	Netherlands	18,586	19,227	21,029

Transportation

The Philippines has different means of transportation. Jeepneys, taxis, and buses are on every main and sub thoroughfares that includes pedicabs and the thrifty tricycles that roam the city streets. MRT (Metro Rail Transit), and LRT (Light Rail Transit) are also accessible in the main commercial districts. Sea and air transport are the most popular means of transportation getting to other parts of the country. The Philippines has its airports and seaports situated throughout the country. The Philippine government is currently spending more to improve Philippine infrastructure to boost not only tourism, but also trade and commerce.

Events

The World Pyro Olympics is held in the Philippines every year since December 2005. Foreigners come to the country to support their own countries joining in the competition.

In the 2005 Southeast Asian Games that was held in the country, government officials took advantage of the games to show the tourist spots around the country.

The beauty pageant Miss Earth is held in the Philippines every year. The competition is also used to advertise the beauty of the country around the world.

The Philippine calendar overflows with festivals the whole year round. Participating in these festivals provide tourists a better understanding of Filipino culture – both modern, traditional, religious and mythical – and its roots. The following are the main festivals :

• Procession of the Black Nazarene, January, Manila. It is a large event with thousands of barefoot men parading through the streets carrying a life-sized, black wooden statue of Jesus of Nazarene. Pilgrims from all over the country attend, wanting to touch the statue in the hope of a miracle.
• Ati-Atihan Festival, January, A colorful festival celebrated in Kalibo, Aklan. Revelers paint their faces with black soot and wear bright, outlandish costumes as they dance for the last three days of this two week-long festival.
• Sinulog festival January, Cebu City. The festival, the country's biggest, features a street parade with participants in bright-colored costumes dancing to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. Smaller versions of the festival are held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate, and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a "Sinulog sa Kabataan", performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the grand parade.
• Dinagyang Festival, fourth Sunday of January, Iloilo City. It is declared as the Queen Festival of the Philippines, 2011 by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP). It is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City, Philippines held on the fourth Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog in Cebu and the Ati-Atihan in Aklan. It is held both to honor the Santo Niño and to celebrate the arrival on Panay of Malay settlers and the subsequent selling of the island to them by the Atis. Dinagyang was voted as the best Tourism Event for 2006, 2007 and 2008 by the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines. It is the first festival in the world to get the support of the United Nations for the promotion of the Millennium Development Goals, and cited by the Asian Development Bank as Best Practice on government, private sector & NGO cooperations.
• Moriones Festival March–April, Marinduque. The Moriones is an annual festival held on Holy Week on the island of Marinduque, Philippines. The "Moriones" are men and women in costumes and masks replicating the garb of biblical Roman soldiers as interpreted by local folks. The Moriones or Moryonan tradition has inspired the creation of other festivals in the Philippines where cultural practices or folk history is turned into street festivals.
• Pahiyas festival May, Lucban, on the border of Quezon province. This festival is in honor of San Isidro where the town celebrates by colourfully decorating the town with fruits, vegetables, flowers,and Kiping, which are imitation leaves made from rice-starch.
• Flores de Mayo May. Flores de Mayo is a Catholic festival held in the Philippines in the month of May. It lasts for a month, and is held in honor of the Virgin Mary. The Santa Cruzan is a parade held on the last day of Flores de Mayo in honor of Reyna Elena.
• Pagoda-Sa-Wawa festival July, Bocaue. In the town of Bocaue in Bulacan province, on the First Sunday of July, The festival celebrate the discovery of the miraculous cross floating on the Bocaue river 200 years ago. A large pagoda is sailed down the river WaWa and if your luck enough to ride on the pagoda, it is said that your life will be improved and you will have good luck for the year.

Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon held every May 15.

Month	Festival	Place
January	Ati-Atihan	Kalibo, Aklan
	Sinulog	Cebu
	Dinagyang	Iloilo
February	Panagbena	Baguio City
	Kaamulan	Bukidnon
March	Paraw Regatta	Iloilo City and Guimaras
	Pintados de Passi	Passi City, Iloilo
	Araw ng Dabaw	Davao
April	Moriones	Marinduque
May	Magayon	Albay
	Pahiyas	Lucban, Quezon
	Sanduguan	Calapan, Oriental Mindoro
August	Kadayawan	Davao
	Kagay-an	Cagayan de Oro
September	Peñafrancia	Naga, Bicol
October	MassKara	Bacolod
	Hermosa	Zamboanga City
November	Higantes	Angono, Rizal

Tourism Problems and Opportunities

Compared to its neighbors like Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore whose tourist arrivals surpass the 20 M mark annually in 2010, as well as Vietnam and Cambodia whose tourist arrivals keep on significantly increasing, the Philippines tourist arrivals is a measly in the 3 M annual level in 2010. The reasons are varied but according to Ramon M. Ignacio, a marketing and development consultant of OMDS, "it is the lack of appreciation of the more critical problems and opportunities facing its tourism industry. Thus strategies are wrongly developed. An example of which was their spending of substantial amounts of peoples' money to come up with a tourism slogan thinking that by having a good one will bring in tourists - a not so bright idea". According to Mr. Ignacio tourists visit a country to 1)have the "experience" of seeing the urban centers; geographic formations like beaches/mountains/rivers/falls;rural scenes; historical landmarks;structures; food and entertainment; shopping; land/sea travel 2)visit friends and relatives and 3)attend and participate in events.

He further says that "the reasons" for its neighbors success is basically due to the land configurations of Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam - where they are contiguous. One can visit Malaysia and go to Singapore by land or to Thailand and travel to Cambodia, Vietnam and other neighboring countries using well-paved and wide roads or efficient train systems. In effect, the places of tourism interests are conveniently accessible, not time-consuming. It does become cheaper. In the Philippines, tourist destinations are scattered in the whole archipelago - thus access is more difficult. The present mode of transportation and infrastructure discourage many tourist considering the hassles, time and expenses"

Given these scenarios, Mr. Ignacio considers the following strategies to improve the performance of the tourism industry: " 1)Promote the Philippines as a "Paradise of Thousand Islands" that can be included in its slogan tagline. This speaks of a Unique Selling Proposition - emphasizing its difference from other countries. 2)Along this line,advertising promotion should focus "Islands Destination" emphasizing on specific places of interests (events, scenes, features, food, people, historical landmarks, activities etc.)3) Access to these Island Destinations should be improved in terms of mode, time and costs 4)Airport landing and port docking fees should be reduced to allow airline carriers and sea vessels offer cheaper fares. 5) International advertising costs should be shared by resort owners, private business and local governments.6) Internet social media should be used extensively for viral marketing communication.7) Government should provide both loan grant funds to the industry participants to improve their facilities and staff training".

Places of Interest

The Chocolate Hills in Bohol.

Camiguin Beach Island (white island at the center).

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

White Beach, Boracay.

Skyline of Cebu City.

Mt. Apo, The Grandfather of Philippine Mountains.

Sta. Cruz Island boasts the only Pink Sand Beach in the Philippines.

Whitewater rafting in the river of Cagayan de Oro.

The Hundred Islands National Park

Fort Pilar in Zamboanga City (known as "Asia's Latin City").

Metro Manila

Mall of Asia, the 4th largest shopping mall in the world. MOA is popularly known for its seaside at the back of the mall because of its wonderful sunset experience.

Historical and Cultural

• Intramuros, a walled city in Manila, was built by the Spanish in the 16th century. Originally, Manila‘s boundaries were the city walls. But due to the growing size of the city, newer buildings were built outside these walls. As of today, Intramuros contains museums, churches and an old fort.

Place	Museum	Description	Address
Manila	Bahay Tsinoy	A typical Chinese house in the Philippines	Kaisa Heritage Center, 32 Anda corner Cabildo Streets, Intramuros, Manila
	Casa Manila	A typical Spanish colonial house in the Philippines	General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila
	San Agustin Museum	A church museum with wide collections of catholic religious items	San Agustin Monastery, General Luna Street Corner Real, Intramuros, Manila
	National Museum of the Philippines	The national museum which showcases Philippine Arts	P. Burgos Avenue, Manila
	Malacañang Museum	A museum inside the Presidential Palace complex	Malacañang Palace Complex, J.P. Laurel Street, San Miguel, Manila
	Metropolitan Museum of Manila	A museum of contemporary arts	Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Manila
	Museum of Contemporary Arts and Design	A museum of contemporary Filipino arts	College of Saint Benilde, 950 P. Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila
	The Museum	A museum of contemporary Filipino arts	De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila
	UST Museum	The oldest existing museum in the Philippines. UST Museum has permanent display on natural history specimens, coins, medals, memorabilia, ethnographic materials and oriental arts objects.	University of Santo Tomas Main Building, España Boulevard, Sampaloc, Manila
	Museo Pambata	A museum for children	Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive, Ermita, Manila
Pasay	CCP Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino and Asian Traditional Musical Instruments	A museum of performing arts.	Tanghalang Pambansa CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay
	GSIS Museo ng Sining	A museum of Filipino Arts	Macapagal Avenue, Financial Center, Pasay
Makati	Ayala Museum	A museum of Filipino Arts	Makati Avenue corner De La Rosa Street, Greenbelt Park, Makati
	Yuchengco Museum	A museum of Filipino and Filipino-Chinese Arts	RCBC Plaza, Ayala corner Senator Gil Puyal Avenue, Makati
Pasig	Lopez Memorial Museum	A museum of Filipino Contemporary Arts	Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig
Quezon City	Ateneo Art Gallery	A museum of Filipino Contemporary Arts	Special Collections Building, Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
	Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center	The only museum in the Philippines with wide range of Philippine Arts from 1880 to 1960	Roxas Avenue, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
Taguig	Mind Museum	A science museum	J.Y. Campos Park, 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Adventure and Others

• Manila Ocean Park, is an oceanarium located behind the Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park. In terms of floor space, the 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft) oceanarium is larger than the Sentosa Underwater World oceanarium in Singapore, and features a 25-metre (82 ft) underwater acrylic tunnel.

• Resorts World Manila, is a luxury casino resort, located in Newport City, across the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, in Manila. It occupies a part of a former military camp near Manila’s airport, has three hotels with 1,574 rooms, a 30,000 square metre (323,000 square feet) casino and a 30,000 square metre shopping mall. Resorts World Manila is a part of the Bagong Nayong Pilipino Entertainment City Manila

Makati City, one of the best skyline in Asia and the world

• Manila's vibrant party scene rivals those of Shanghai and the nightlife is amongst the most underrated in the world with the Filipinos penchant for parties and fiestas. Somewhere in the archipelago, there is at least one fiesta being celebrated 365 days a year (By Third Week of January - head off to Kalibo for the Asia's version of the Mardi Gras). Manila, Cebu and Boracay are the ground zero for parties - pool parties, yacht parties, rave and fashion events.

• Makati City is the modern face of Manila, in complete contrast to Intramuros. Major malls, business centers, hotels are situated in Makati City. Lined with modern high rise buildings, the Makati-Skyline is the best in the country.

Outside Metro Manila

Historical and Cultural

Sagada Rice Terraces

• The Hanging Coffins of Sagada and the Banaue Rice Terraces are worth a visit in the Northern Philippines. The rice terraces were carved out of mountains thousands of years ago and by far the most extensive of its kind in the world (longer and bigger than those in Indonesia) with sophisticated irrigation and engineering that was unthinkable during the time it was built.

• Aklan is one of the most visited provinces in the Philippines not only because of its beaches but also of its popular yearly colorful event which is the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo.

• About two thousand years ago, mountains in Northern Luzon were carved by indigenous people to form what is now the Banaue Rice Terraces. The rice terraces cover 4,000 square miles (10,000 km²) of mountainside. The Banaue Rice Terraces is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is said to be the 8th wonder of the world.

Natural

Banaue Rice Terraces

Taal Volcano, the smallest active volcano in the world

Mount Apo, the tallest mountain in the country

• Chocolate Hills are limestone hills that turn brown during the summer. Chocolate Hills are found in the island province of Bohol, which is also the home of one of the smallest primates in the world—the Philippine Tarsier. Bohol's many other natural attractions such as the majestic Iwahig River, Dagohoy Peak and virginal caves in the town of Danao, as well as the beaches of Panglao Island must not be missed.

• Taal Volcano, one of the smallest active volcanoes in the world, sits on a lake and is just an hour away from Manila. The fresh cool air off the Tagaytay Ridge provides a spectacular view of the lake and the volcano. Visitors should confirm whether hiking to the crater is safe or not before attempting to do so.
• North of Manila, take the rough road and go to Mt. Pinatubo, the volcano which caused a massive eruption in 1991. Now you can marvel at the volcano up close and swim inside its crater. The last eruption was one of the biggest during the last century and lowered the global temperature by at least a degree.

• The La Paz Sand Dunes in Laoag City has been a favorite site for filming local and foreign movies like Mad Max and Born on the Fourth of July starring Hollywood actor Tom Cruise.

• The Hundred Islands, also located in the Northern Philippines, is a group of more than 400 islets with coral reefs surrounding the islets. These islands are famous for their beaches and the coral reefs, which can be explored by snorkeling.

• The province of Palawan is one of the most beautiful islands in the South China Sea. Palawan has natural gas fields on the northeastern part of the island but the beautiful beaches around the island remain pristine. The island is home to the spectacular Tubbataha Reef and the breathtaking Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.

• Boracay Island is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. The island boasts a 4-kilometer stretch of white sand beach, considered to be the best beach in Asia and one of the top ten beaches in the world.

• The gateway to the natural wonders in the Central Visayas, Cebu is a top tourist destination in the Philippines. The country's oldest street and city are found in this bustling metropolis where the urban sprawl is ever growing. Many tourists, who wish to stay away from the metro's hustle and bustle, are drawn to Cebu's hidden secrets: amazing dive sites, island resorts, white-sand islets, waterfalls, lakes, springs, mountain trails and countless wonders, all of which are a short bus ride away.

• Mt. Apo is the highest mountain in the country located in the island of Mindanao, and home to over 270 bird species. Its name means "master" or "grandfather" and is one of the most popular climbing destinations in the Philippines.

Adventure and Others

Camsur Watersports Complex

Enchanted Kingdom, a world class theme park located in Laguna City.

• Enchanted Kingdom is a world-class theme park in the Philippines. It is located in Santa Rosa City, Laguna, about 29 kilometers (18 mi) from Manila. It has a land area of 17 hectares (41 acres). The park is managed and operated by Enchanted Kingdom Inc., formerly named Amtrust Leisure Corporation.

• Surfing in the Philippines is comparable to the best in the world – with the world-famous cloud 9s off the island of Siargao facing the Philippine Trench in the Western Pacific as well as the surfing destinations of La Union and Zambales (facing South China Sea).

• The Philippines is one of the top three best diving destinations in the world, alongside Palau and the Maldives. The archipelago is one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world, with the most number of species concentrated in one area. The best dive sites in the Philippines are located in Anilao, Boracay, Malapascua, Apo Island, Balicasag, Pamilacan, Tubbataha, Palawan, and Puerto Galera. Subic Bay, home of a former American naval base, is also known for World War II wreck dives.

Popular tourist destinations

• Legazpi City, Albay
• Angeles City
• Bacolod
• Batangas
• Nasugbu Beach
• Boracay Island
• Baguio
• Bohol
• Camarines Sur
• Cebu
• Davao
• Cagayan de Oro
• Hundred Islands National Park
• Iloilo City
• Ilocos Norte
• El Nido, Palawan
• Banaue Rice Terraces
• Taal Volcano
• Mayon Volcano
• Clark Freeport Zone
• Subic Bay
• Pampanga
• Puerto Galera
• Vigan
• Tagaytay City
• Zamboanga City

References

• Culture and customs of the Philippines By Paul A. Rodell

External links

• Department of Foreign Affairs Tourism and Information Portal (DFA TIP)
• Wikitravel Philippines Guide
• Philippines Tourism Authority Official Site
• Tourism Philippines