Attracting tourists

LABUAN BAJO – The full-grown Komodo dragon lay sprawled in the shade of a tree, unmindful of the tourists taking photos with it from a safe distance.

It flicked its eyes open briefly, gave a massive yawn, then plopped right back to sleep.

The apex predator, which eats even its own hatchlings and juveniles, didn’t look hungry. In fact the rangers on Komodo Island must have made sure it was well fed, to eliminate its need to hunt for meat and engage in cannibalism.

Conservationists estimate that there are fewer than 3,500 Komodo dragons left. All of them can be found only on the islands in Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, with over 1,000 on the island that I visited.

The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the rangers trained by international conservationists in protecting what’s left of the giant monitor lizards.

It is also one of the unique destinations that helped Indonesia attract 15.39 million foreign tourists in 2025 – a 10.8-percent increase from the previous year, and higher than the government’s target of 14-15 million.

This year, Indonesia has registered 10.58 million tourist arrivals in just the first eight months – the highest level since 2020, pre-pandemic.

Of the 15.39 million international arrivals last year, over 6.9 million visited Bali. The resort island is just an hour’s local flight to this port town of Labuan Bajo, the primary tourist gateway to Komodo National Park.

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That’s more than the 6.84 million tourist arrivals in the Philippines for 2025.

We don’t have Komodo dragons, but we have the tarsier, the pangolin, tamaraw and mouse deer.

Other major draws in Labuan Bajo are treks to hilltops with spectacular views of the islands, plus the pink sand of Pink Beach (with deer roaming and nuzzling you for food), snorkeling for manta rays or relaxing on a sand bar.

They are unique, but we have whale shark or butanding sightings in Sorsogon and Bohol, the powdery white sand of Boracay and (unless China has built artificial islands over them) so many sand bars in the West Philippine Sea. We should develop them into island-hopping tourist attractions.

We also have the smaller cousins of the Komodo dragon. The monitor lizards emerge from the forest as you arrive at the entrance to the Underground River in Palawan. Like the Komodos that I saw, those monitor lizards are so used to the presence of people and being fed, they actually raise their heads and look like they’re striking a pose when they see a camera aimed at them. And then they expect a treat for their performance.

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You know where this article is going: if we can offer similar attractions, why are we so far behind in tourism?

It can’t be peace and order. Indonesia is home to the Islamist terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, which staged two bombings in Bali that killed over 200 people in 2002, with a second attack staged in 2005. A memorial was held in Bali last Monday, the 24th year since the first attack.

Yet Bali recovered. And everywhere I go in Labuan, I see so many foreign tourists, mostly Asians and Europeans.

There’s pricing, which Philippine travel agents and other players in the industry have told me about. It’s generally cheaper, they sighed to me, to visit neighboring Southeast Asian countries, notably Vietnam, Thailand and, yes, Indonesia.

They refer not only to accommodations of comparable tiers and transport fares, but even tourist souvenirs. One travel agent told me she buys souvenirs from Vietnam and passes them off as Philippine-made for giveaways to clients because the items look so similar anyway.

Last Monday I visited the Melo Traditional Village for a glimpse into indigenous Manggarai culture. The steep, winding road reminded me of Kennon Road to Baguio, and the handwoven traditional fabrics reminded me of those sold in Benguet. But the items in Melo were priced lower. Even the highland Manggarai coffee, with tempting aroma, was cheaper than my favorite barako coffee that I buy in Tagaytay.

The island-hopping was well-organized. Even local children are trained to be helpful to visitors, offering to carry bags, for example, without being pushy. The kids take perfect shots using tourists’ phone cameras, and pose for photos if requested. They know what tourists want, pointing out sea urchins lying on the seabed.

We take pride in Pinoys’ natural TLC. Apart from the people, the Philippines is blessed with so many natural attractions. The challenges for our tourism sector aren’t insurmountable.

What do people want when they travel? Apart from the unique attractions of destinations, the basic requirements are transport and internet connectivity, personal safety, affordability and easy entry requirements.

Our tourism sector can also use better packaging and marketing. If we could have officials who don’t see an assignment in the Department of Tourism as a chance for them to see the world, rather than making the world see the Philippines, there’s still hope for us.

Within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, we rank behind Malaysia (with an eye-watering 42.2 million international arrivals in 2025), Thailand (33 million), Vietnam (21.2 million), Singapore (16.9 million) and Indonesia. Cambodia is closing in on us, drawing 5.6 million visitors last year.

Being an optimist (or trying to be), I like to think we can match if not surpass our neighbors in welcoming visitors.

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For more information on Indonesia’s tourist attractions, you may check out @indonesiainmanila, #inDiplomasi#IndonesianWay, #WonderfulIndonesia, #pesonaindonesia, #indonesiainmanila or #labuanbajo