Marcos: Philippines' tourism in 'stiff competition' with Asian neighbors

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. believes that the Philippines must build more tourism rest areas (TRA) as part of its initiatives to compete with the tourism of neighboring countries in Asia.

In a speech delivered during the inauguration of Luzon's first Tourist Rest Area in Ilocos Norte on Friday, Marcos said that the country faces "stiff competition" with the tourism performance of other Asian countries.

"This TRA is an important initiative for us as we want to transform the Philippines into the tourism powerhouse in Asia," Marcos said.

"We are in very stiff competition. Thailand has done an extremely good job in promoting tourism. Korea has done a very, very good job doing that. Indonesia, the same thing. Vietnam, the same thing," the president said.

Marcos said that the TRA in Ilocos Norte aims to give tourists access to several amenities and services, such as an information center, clean restrooms, charging stations, a lounge for resting, among others.

"It hosts a pasalubong center that features locally-made products, so the products that you will find here in Pagudpud are not the same products that you will find in Palawan, not the same products as you will find in Samar. It will be sourced from the locals," Marcos added.

The president said that tourism involves not just "the beautiful beach" or "nice hotels" that tourists say in, but also the ease in which they can get to and from their destinations. 

Marcos said that this also involves the government's efforts to improve the country's regional airports, as the airport in Manila is "already very congested." 

The Philippines' tourism performance continues to lag behind the rest of the region due to what analysts believe is its years-long poor infrastructure and a reliance on Chinese tourists, which were slow to come back during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a January 2024 BusinessWorld report.

During budget deliberations for the Department of Tourism in 2022, Secretary Christina Frasco acknowledged that one of the obstacles to improving the Philippines' tourism is the lack of adequate infrastructure.

— Cristina Chi