Chapter 1
Philippine Tourism Overview
Introduction
Philippine Culture and Tourism
This chapter presents comprehensive survey discussions of the major tourist
destination areas in the Philippines. Major discussions will be on access,
health and safety issues, geographical characteristics, major attractions,
gastronomy, and distinctive cultural attributes of the various regions of the
country related to the development and promotion of tourism in the
Philippines.
Student Learning Objectives
By the end of the chapter, students should be able to:
1. Accept the economic value of the tourist destinations in the different
provinces and cities of the Philippines;
2. Identify the various provinces in each region and town, and chartered
and component cities in each province on a blank map;
3. Identify the major access routes to major domestic destinations;
4. Name and describe major attractions in each province;
5. Know the cultural differences and similarities among the major ethnic
groups in the country; and
6. Improve their research and presentation skills.
Philippine Tourism: An Overview
The Philippines is a beautiful and archipelagic country. On top of its
natural and cultural/heritage attractions are the friendliest, most
hardworking, and considered the most hospitable people in the world.
Filipinos are bilingual, making it easy for foreign tourists communicate
with locals of different destinations.
The Philippines has several UNESCO world heritage sites. These include
the cultural Baroque Churches of the Philippines, such as the San
Agustin Church in Manila, Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte, Sta. Maria
Church in Ilocos Sur, and Miag-ao in Iloilo. The Historic Town of Vigan
and the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are among those
listed under cultural heritage. Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife
Sanctuary in Eastern Mindanao, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
National Park, and Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park in Palawan are
also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites Natural category. The
Philippines is also home to the internationally acclaimed white sand
beaches of Boracay, Coron, El Nido, and Panglao.
Tourism in the Philippines has become a valuable economic, social, and
cultural driver. Its impacts have been far and wide based on arrival
rates each year. Based on origin, international tourism and domestic
tourism are the two distinct types of tourism. International tourism
refers to tourism that crosses national borders while domestic tourism
is defined as travel made within one’s country of residence.
There is no discounting the fact that with cheaper and easier ways of
travel, social media, and higher disposable income, more and more
people will be traveling within and outside their countries. As domestic
tourism develops, economic and socio-cultural impacts and
environmental protection need to be addressed.
Economic Aspect
On the economic vantage point, domestic tourism contributes vastly in
increasing a country’s economic activity. In the Philippines, domestic
tourism activity has become increasingly high. Domestic tourists
outnumber international tourists ten times more. Domestic tourism
expenditure, which includes expenditure of resident visitors within the
country either as domestic trip or part of an international trip, has
grown because of tourism in terms of employment, tourism and related
industries have grown considerably: 1 out of 10 jobs are tourism-
related.
Socio-cultural Aspect
The Philippine culture is a blend of the Malay-Polynesian, Hispanic, and
western cultures with some influence from the Chinese and other Asian
cultures. Having Spain colonizes us for more than 300 years and the
Americans thereafter, have made the Filipinos a melting pot of
different cultures. With the increasing number of Overseas Filipino
workers (OFW) and international travel, the Filipino culture continues to
evolve.
Filipinos have a very strong sense of family and kapwa (others). This is
evident in the way we give importance to our relationships with others.
The Filipinos are people in the world wherein we think of others known
to be one of the most hospitable as part of themselves and their family.
Filipinos are also lovers of art in many forms. Music is an integral part
of the Filipino culture as evidenced by singing, dancing, and playing
musical instruments. The town fiestas celebrated in different parts of
the country is a testimony of the Filipinos faith and gratefulness to
patron saints where many religious activities, street dancing, singing,
and eating are part of the celebration.
Environmental Protection
One of the major threats to environmental protection is the continuous
growth of tourism industry. The implementation of laws and other
policies in favor of the environment has to be strictly enforced for
tourism development to be sustainable.
The Philippines has the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) to oversee the protection of the environment in line
with proposed tourism development in various areas.
The 4 As of Tourism
The succeeding chapters are organized in a manner that is in line with
the 4 As of tourism access, attractions, accommodations, and
activities. The 4 As need to be addressed for domestic tourism to
flourish in any destination.
Access Land, sea, and air access to and from the destination as well
as within the destination should be relatively fast and easy. Tourists
would not want to be traveling the whole day. They prefer to be
spending time on the destination than on the bus, boat, or plane.
Roads, bridges, and ports should be developed to acceptable levels to
accommodate the influx of tourists.
Attractions The main reason Tourists go to a destination is because of
its attractions. The attractions can be cultural/heritage/historic, natural,
and/or built/man-made. There should be a good mix of these three
types for good variety.
Accommodations There should be a wide range of accommodations
that
Vary from budget, mid-range, and deluxe. This way, the destination
can attract tourists from a wide demographic profile. Accommodations
should include the most basic needs of a comfortable bed, clean
toilets, and food services. Wi-Fi access is becoming a necessity for
tourist to connect with their loved ones.
Activities The destination should Also offer a variety of activities
located close to each other. The activities should be connected to each
other with varying degrees within a similar theme. Themes would
include adventure, health and wellness, medical, sports, MICE
meetings, incentives, conferences, and events), etc. For example, if a
destination wants to be known as an adventure destination, then
activities should range from soft, medium, and hard adventure
activities. A good mix of activities will keep tourists to stay longer and
spend more.
As local tourism in the country exceeds international tourist arrivals by
as much as 10 times, destination managers cannot disregard the
contribution that local tourists make. Hence, activities,
accommodations, and amenities should also be designed with the local
tourist in mind. In fact, many tourist facilities such as hotels and
resorts have acknowledged the fact that majority of its guests are local
tourists.
Basic Facts about the Philippines
A. Islands in the Philippines
1. Largest Island in the Philippines
Luzon Island, located in the northern region of the archipelago, is the
country’s largest and most populous island. It also has the greatest
population among the three island groups. Having an area of 42,458
square miles, Luzon is further subdivided into four major areas-
Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and the National
Capital Region, which is home to the country’s capital, Manila and is
the country’s center of economic, social, cultural, and financial
development (Vallejo 2014 and Valdeavilla 2018).
2. Smallest Island in the Philippines
The Philippines consists of thousands of islands and there is no known
smallest island using any known technical definition and due to high
tide and low tide variations.
3. Number of Islands
There are 7,641 islands in the Philippines (Barile 2017).
4. Length of Coastline
Estimates of the total length of the coastline range from 17,500
kilometers (official Philippine figure) to 36,289 kilometers (U.S. figure)
(Library of Congress. Federal Research Division 2006).
B. Major Landforms
1. Highest Point: Mount Apo
Mount Apo is the largest and the tallest solfataric mountain on the
island of Mindanao and in the entire Philippines. The mountain has an
elevation Of 9,692 feet and is located between the city of Davao and
the province of Davao Del Sur. Mount Apo is characterized by a tropical
rainy climate with rainfall relatively distributed throughout the year.
Mount Apo is home to over 272 species of birds of which 111 species
are endemic to the mountain. Nineteen rivers drain Mount APO’s eight
major watersheds. Six indigenous groups of people including Bagobo,
Ubos, and Tagacaol live around the regions of Mount Apo and consider
the mountain a sacred place and a place for worship rituals (Misachi
2017).
2. Oldest Province: Aklan
Originally called Minuro, Aklan is considered as the oldest province in
the Philippines. Records say that the province was established during
the early 12th century by settlers originating from Borneo. Datu
Dinagandan, who established trade with neighboring islands, was the
first ruler. Kalantiaw then grabbed the throne, and his family continued
to rule the province until the mid-14th century (topten.ph 2016).
3. Number of Provinces: There are 81 Provinces as of March 31,
2018 (Philippine Statistics Authority 2018).
4. Largest/Smallest Province:
a. Largest Province: Palawan
Palawan is the largest in terms of land area at 17,030.75 sq. kms.
b. Smallest Province: Batanes
Batanes has a land area of 203.22 sq. kms. (De la Rosa, Fiestada,
Sanchez, and Mangahas 2018).
C. Climate Information
The first half of the year, from January to May, is the best time to visit
the country. November to February is cool, while March to May is hot
and dry. June to October is rainy, with the months between July and
September characterized by typhoons. Average temperature is 78
degrees F/25 degrees C; average humidity is 77%.
D. Language
The Philippines has two official languages, Filipino (or Pilipino) and
English. Filipino has eight major dialects, in order of use: Tagalog,
Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and
Pangasinense. Filipino, based on Tagalog, is related to Malay and
Indonesian and is part of the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the
Austronesian language family. Filipino is the common language used
between speakers of different native languages, which are closely
related but not mutually intelligible. There are about 76 to 78 major
language groups, with more than 500 dialects (DOT 2018).
D. Major Ethnic Groups
The richness of the Philippines does not end with just its aesthetic
appeal, but beyond what the eyes can see in photos and videos, is the
vibrant feel of its people. This is the differentiation of the Philippines as
a tourist destination. Its people are known to be the most hospitable in
the world. Filipinos treat guests like family, willing to give up the seat
of honor for its visitors.
THC002: PHILIPPINE CULTURE AND TOURISM GEOGRAPHY
The Philippines has more than 100 ethnic groups. The more dominant
ethnic groups include Tagalog, Bisaya, Cebuano, Ilocano, Ilonggo, and
Waray.
Ethnic Group Population (2010)
Tagalog. 22,512,089
Visayan/Bisaya. 10,539,816
Cebuano. 9,125,637
Ilokano/llocano. 8,074,536
Hiligaynon/Ilonggo. 7,773,655
Waray. 3,660,645
The Philippine culture is a blend of the Malayo-Polynesian and Hispanic
culture with the influence from Chinese, Indians, Arabs, and other
Asian cultures as manifested in various customs and traditions of the
Filipinos. Filipinos have the concept of kapwa (others) to refer to other
people as an extension of themselves. It shows on how they give
Importance to their connection or relationship with other people. This is
one of the roots of their being hospitable-Filipinos think of others as
part of themselves and their family. This strong sense of kapwa enables
Filipinos to share what they have with others, give the best place in the
house for the visitors and always provide the best food for its guests.
Filipinos are lovers of art as evidenced by their folk songs, cultural
dances, rituals, festivals, intricate architecture of churches, and
ancestral houses. They are also lovers of music and have the ability to
express themselves through song and dance. Videoke has evolved to
be associated as a favorite past-time and get-together activity. Filipinos
love to celebrate and gather with family and friends around popular
Filipino dishes such As lechon, adobo and pancit.
Religion is an integral and inseparable aspect of Filipino culture. The
Philippines is known to celebrate the longest Christmas season.
Devotion to various images of the Lord Jesus, such as the Sto. Nino and
the Black Nazarene, as well as to the Blessed Virgin Mary and different
patron saints, is
