There are many reasons to visit the Philippines. The pristine lagoons of Palawan, the white beaches of Boracay and the dive sites scattered across the archipelago continue to appeal to tourists.
Yet, as visitors return to Southeast Asia following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Philippines appears to be moving in reverse, suggesting that it lags behind its neighbours in competitiveness.
Tourist arrivals fell to 5.24 million in the first 11 months of 2025, down 2.2 % from the same period the year before, data from the Philippines’ Department of Tourism showed.
Arrivals remained about 37 % below the pre-pandemic level of 2019, when 8.26 million visitors travelled to the Philippines.
The decline stands out in a region where tourism has largely recovered, with Vietnam notably recording 22 million arrivals, a 22.2 % increase from pre-COVID-19 levels.
The shortfall reflects more than a cyclical slowdown.
A study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies found that while tourism activity rebounded after the pandemic, much of the recovery was driven by domestic travel rather than foreign visitors.
International arrivals and tourism receipts have lagged behind those of regional peers, pointing to structural constraints that long predate the pandemic.
Infrastructure woes
Those constraints are felt first at the country’s gateways.
Curtis Chin, a senior adviser at the Milken Institute and former US ambassador to the Manila-based Asian Development Bank, said travel in the Philippines too often feels “more hassle than fun”, an ironic inversion of the country’s long-running tourism slogan, “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”
He told The Straits Times that congested airports, fragile connectivity between islands, and uneven transport infrastructure introduce friction that many travellers, especially those with limited time, simply choose to avoid.
“The Philippines is such a great destination. When I advise people visiting the Philippines, I always say, build in some wiggle room in case your plane is late or if the weather interrupts things,” Chin said.
“But too often, people don’t have an extra three days.”
Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport remains a drag on the country’s reputation.
While regional hubs have invested heavily in technology to process large passenger volumes, long queues, tarmac delays and baggage backlogs persist in the Philippine capital.
For a country where most visitors must transit through Manila to reach island destinations, the first impression carries disproportionate weight.
That friction continues beyond the airport. American journalist Justin Dawes, who travelled through island destinations Cebu, Siquijor, Bohol and Palawan in 2025, described the Philippines as rewarding travellers with an “adventure mindset”.
He told ST that ferries, long bus rides and uneven roads are part of the experience, appealing to seasoned backpackers, but less so to mainstream tourists accustomed to smoother logistics elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
“Many of my friends who are travellers probably wouldn’t be down for that, as there are different types of tourists. Some people just want to be in a city, or some people just want to chill,” Dawes said.