Can Asean chairmanship and ‘authenticity’ lift Philippines’ tourism game?

While the bloc’s chairmanship is a plus point, Manila needs to overcome accessibility challenges to attract more regional tourists

The Philippines is banking on its Asean chairmanship to elevate the country’s tourism through “warmth and authenticity”, despite facing accessibility hurdles and stiff competition from holiday heavyweights such as Thailand and Indonesia.

The archipelagic state, famous for its white sand beaches, managed to draw just 2.1 million of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 48.5 million tourist arrivals in the first four months of this year.

The Philippines received 5.9 million visitors in 2024, falling short of its 7.7 million target, data from travel intelligence firm Outbox Company showed. Malaysia and Thailand led the region at 13.4 million and 12.09 million, respectively.

To reverse that trend and catch up with its rivals, Manila is “tailoring our interventions to ensure the Philippines is the top-of-mind choice for our increasingly affluent regional neighbours”, Department of Tourism spokeswoman Ina Zara-Loyola told local media this week.

The government is also “actively in talks” with the Filipino girl group BINI to boost the country’s tourism appeal among the 11-member bloc, which the World Economic Forum projects will become the world’s fourth-largest economy.

Tourism Congress of the Philippines president James Montenegro said the country’s competitive edge over other Asean destinations lies in offering “warmth, service, authenticity and human engagement”.

“Visitors do not just see destinations; they interact deeply with communities, culture and local hospitality,” the Philippine News Agency quoted him as saying.

“That creates a stronger emotional connection and brand recall, which we hope will translate into repeat visits and stronger tourism loyalty over time.”

Montenegro added that luring more young, financially independent visitors from places like Singapore and Malaysia should be a priority.

The Philippines attracted more than 298,000 tourists from the two countries last year.

He cited Cebu as an example where the tourism infrastructure had “matured significantly”, enabling easy access to other spots such as Siquijor, Dumaguete, Siargao and Palawan.

Cebu recently organised an Asean summit and a related travel forum which generated 1.44 billion pesos (US$23.4 million) in sales leads, figures that Zara-Loyola said were “concrete proof” that the country’s host roles “yield immediate and substantial economic returns to our local tourism value chains”.

Short term to long term?

But to sustain this momentum, tourism observers say the Philippines needs to make use of regional policies – including the Asean tourism sectoral plan and marketing strategy – which focus on connectivity, standards, skills mobility and sustainable investment.

Visitor arrivals may see a short-term increase from the Asean delegations. However, the real test for the long term is “whether the Philippines has influenced the strategies discussed in the Asean meetings to its advantage”, said Maricel Gatchalian-Badilla, a professor at the University of the Philippines’ Asian Institute of Tourism.

Edieser dela Santa, another professor at UP’s Asian Tourism Institute, said while the summits in Cebu shone a light on its high-profile hosting capabilities, the Asean chairship alone “will not be sufficient to address systemic issues”.

This could fast track the completion of some projects, similar to the tourism development Cebu witnessed when Manila helmed the bloc in 2007, he added.

Gatchalian-Badilla agreed, saying the chairship “may be able to jump-start the initiatives laid out during the Asean meetings”, but cautioned that while “Southeast Asia is cooperating with each other, these countries are also competing with each other”.

Long-standing accessibility issues across the country, with 99 per cent of people needing to travel by air, are also denting its appeal.

Gatchalian-Badilla suggested that Asean should encourage intraregional travel through regional connectivity, multistate itineraries and joint tourism campaigns, even to maritime countries such as the Philippines.

“The Philippines has not been top of mind for intraregional travel mainly due to its proximity and accessibility to other Southeast Asian countries,” she said.

She added that the recent Asean-linked events provided an “opportunity” for Manila to generate interest in the country not only for tourism but also for foreign investment.

According to Gatchalian-Badilla, activities like diving and gastronomy need a fresh push and the country “should maximise its strength in being hospitable and conversant in English, making it comfortable for high-end tourists”.

“The Asean chairship provides a big boost in terms of awareness and image formation,” she said.

As the Philippines prepares to welcome more visitors, she expressed hope that the efforts would result in “gainful returns” such as international exposure, destination awareness and increased investments.

Source: SCMP