Tourism in the Philippines

Tourism is an important sector for Philippine economy. The travel and tourism industry contributed 5.2%% to the country's GDP in 2021; this was lower than the 12.7% recorded in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns. The country is known for having its rich biodiversity as its main tourist attraction."Natural Resources and Environment in Philippines"
(n.d.). ''eTravel Pilipinas''. Retrieved January 22, 2009. Popular destinations among tourists include Boracay, Palawan, and Siargao. Despite potential, the Philippines has lagged in tourism industry behind some of its Southeast Asian neighbors due to political and social problems.

As of 2019, 5.7 million Filipinos have been employed in the tourism sector. In 2015, the Philippine government collected P227.62 billion pesos from foreign tourists, almost 25% of which came from Boracay. The country attracted a total of 5,360,682 foreign visitors in 2015 through its successful tourism campaign of "It's More Fun in the Philippines". In 2019, foreign arrivals peaked at 8,260,913.

The country is also home to one of the New7Wonders of Nature, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and one of the New7Wonders Cities, the Heritage City of Vigan. It is also home to six UNESCO world heritage sites scattered in nine different locations, three UNESCO biosphere reserves, three UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, four UNESCO memory of the world documentary heritage, one UNESCO creative city, two UNESCO world heritage cities, seven Ramsar wetland sites, and eight ASEAN Heritage Parks.

Overview

In 2011, the Department of Tourism (DOT) recorded 3.9 million tourists visiting the country, 11.2 percent higher than the 3.5 million registered in 2010. Tourist arrivals jumped to 4.27 million in 2012, after the DOT launched a widely publicized tourism marketing campaign entitled "It's More Fun In the Philippines".

The 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum ranked the Philippines 79th out of 136 countries overall. The country's best-rated features were price competitiveness (22nd) and natural resources (37th).

The tourism industry employed 3.8 million Filipinos, or 10.2 per cent of national employment, in 2011, according to data gathered by the National Statistical Coordination Board.

The official heritage properties of the Philippines are listed under the National Government's Philippine Registry of Cultural Property (PRECUP), ''Pinagmulan: Enumeration from the Philippine Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage'', and the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS). Properties registered among those lists are heralded as possible nominations to the UNESCO World Heritage List, where at least 16 declarations containing 19 properties have been recognized by UNESCO through its 4 different lists (UNESCO World Heritage List, UNESCO Memory of the World Register, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Registry).

History

Tourism in the Philippines traces its origins during the ancient times when the first set of people chose to migrate through land bridges, followed by the other sets of migrations from the Malayan archipelago in the south and Taiwan in the north. Trade also became part of the tourism as Arabs, Indians, Japanese, Chinese, Malays, and other ethnic groups in mainland Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Ryukyu traded goods with the natives. When the islands became part of the territory of Spain, an influx of Spanish people migrated into the country, though still few compared to the Spanish migrations in South America as the Philippines was farther from Spain.

The tourism industry first truly flourished during the late 19th to early 20th century due to the influx of immigrants from Europe and the United States. It was listed as one of the best countries to visit in Asia aside from Hong Kong and Japan, earning the nickname "Pearl of the Orient Seas". The tourism declined during and after the World War II, leaving the country with a completely devastated economy, and a landscape filled with destroyed heritage towns. The second wave of tourist influx flourished in the 1950s but declined drastically during the dictatorship era. After the People Power Revolution, the tourism industry continued to decline due to the domino effect caused by the Marcos dictatorship. The industry only managed to cope in 1991 and 1992, where 1.2 million tourists visited the Philippines. It afterwards waned again after a decade due to corrupt practices in government.

The tourism industry flourished again at the early part of the 2010s under the "''It's More Fun in the Philippines''" slogan, which was regarded as an international success. The country saw an influx of foreign tourists, with the aid of social media and the creative tagline. Tourism reached its peak in 2015 with 5,360,682 foreign tourists arrivals recorded. The industry continued to grow in 2017, but the growth rate from Western tourists drastically decreased due to the drug war and the declaration of martial law in Mindanao. Nonetheless, the growth continued due to an influx of Asian and Russian tourists.

8,260,913 international visitors arrived from January to December 2019, up by 15.24% for the same period in 2018. of these came from East Asia, came from North America, and came from other ASEAN countries.

The tourism industry was severely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, when tourist arrivals dropped to only 1.48 million in 2020 due to government pandemic-related lockdowns to control the spread of the virus, and when Super Typhoon Odette ravaged tourism-dependent remote islands, including Siargao, in central and southern Philippines in December 2021. The country was reopened to international tourists starting February 10, 2022, after nearly two years of border closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Government initiatives since 2018

Under the National Tourism Development Plan (NDTP), the Duterte administration set aside $23 billion to develop tourist infrastructure that was "not only sustainable and highly competitive in the region, but also socially responsible to propel inclusive growth". In 2018, the Department of Tourism recorded 7.1 million foreign tourists to the Philippines that year, despite the closure of popular destination Boracay for cleanup. A total of 8.26 million international tourists visited the country throughout 2019, breaking the department's record and exceeding the NDTP target.

In January 2021, the Department of Public Works and Highways reported 120 billion was allocated from 2016 to 2021 for the construction and improvement of of roads leading to tourist destinations, of which were completed. Following a decline in tourism due to a COVID-19 border closure of two years, the administration reopened the Philippines to international tourists and stopped requiring RT-PCR tests of fully-vaccinated passengers upon arrival.

Statistics

Country visitor statistics

Annual statistics (foreign arrivals)

Regional statistics (2019)

Attractions

The island of Luzon is considered the political and economic center of the Philippines. The economy of Luzon is centered in Metro Manila, the national capital region. Manila was ranked 11th most attractive city for American shoppers out of 25 Asia Pacific cities by a Global Blue survey in 2012. Shopping malls can be found around the metropolis, especially in the business and financial districts of Makati, Ortigas and Bonifacio Global City.

The most popular destinations in the Visayas are Cebu and Boracay known for their white sand beaches and has been favorite island destinations for local and foreign visitors. In 2012, Boracay received the "best island" award from the international travel magazine '' Travel + Leisure''. Boracay is also a popular destination for relaxation, tranquility and an exciting nightlife. In 2018, three Philippine islands, Siargao Island, Boracay, and Palawan, were listed on Condé Nast Traveler's list of Asia's best islands. The three islands were ranked first, second, and third, respectively.

Mindanao, the southernmost island of the Philippines, is home to the country's highest mountain, Mount Apo. The mountain has become a popular hiking destination for mountain climbers. On average, it takes two days to reach the summit. The mountain has a wide range of flora and fauna, including over 272 bird species, 111 of which are endemic to the area, including the national bird, the Philippine eagle."Profile – Mt. Apo Natural Park"
. Philippine Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau. Retrieved on April 25, 2014.

Immovable Tangible Heritage

The Philippines has six UNESCO World Heritage Sites scattered in nine different locations: Vigan, Baroque Churches of the Philippines (comprising Santa Maria Church, Paoay Church, San Agustin Church, Miagao Church), Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras which includes five different rice terrace clusters, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and Mount Hamiguitan Wildlife Sanctuary.

There country has one UNESCO World Heritage City, Vigan, and one UNESCO Creative City, (Baguio). There are three UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (Palawan Biosphere Reserve, Albay