Tourism 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. In 1987, tourism growth was slower in the Philippines than in other Southeast Asian countries.
| Tourism Statistics[1] |
| 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 |
| Jan-Nov 2011 |
3,522,887 [2] |
* 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.
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 the period of January to September 2009 alone, the government recorded 5.2 million tourists visiting the country.
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 5 Markets by Volume
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, Panay. It is the most colorful among Philippine fiestas and many consider it as the Mother of All festivals in the Philippine. 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. Religious and non-religious folk alike observe this day of parades, dancing and music, there may even be beer to be had.
- 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.
Shopping
Famous tourist spots
Metro Manila
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Popular tourist destinations
References
- Culture and customs of the Philippines By Paul A. Rodell
External links
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Tourism in Southeast Asia
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