Government critics, independent observers and stakeholders in the tourism industry are one in blaming the country’s lackluster tourism performance on several factors.
Among these are pruned marketing and advertising budgets (aside from the 2023 advertising debacle called "Love the Philippines" which used stock footage from Brazil and Switzerland), slow air connectivity, and security concerns.
The most serious of these factors is the security problem.
The Department of Tourism under Secretary Christina Frasco was trying to ramp up foreign and local tourism while other government agencies are pushing policies that stunted tourism's growth.
A good example is when the government abandoned or temporarily stopped in 2023 the e-Visa system being used by Chinese tourists.
The Inquirer reported that "the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) then did not give a concrete reason for the suspension, but it came after former Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla disclosed that he made a recommendation to President Marcos to have visa facilitation in China removed from the foreign affairs department."
The suspension of the e-Visa program resulted in fewer Chinese travelers in the Philippines, something that Marcos administration realized after two years. It seems Boying Remulla had the ears of the President, and so the secretaries of tourism and foreign affairs had to wait for months before proving the point that constricting entry of Chinese tourists is disastrous to the economy.
In October, Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz signed a memorandum of agreement with private firm VFS Global to facilitate visa processing for potential tourists in China. The new DFA secretary, Tess Lazaro, seriously backed this effort.
Under the relaunched policy, Chinese tourists who wish to visit the Philippines for up to 14 days can apply for the eVisa. Their points of entry, however, are limited to Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
Those staying longer may apply for regular visa at application centers in Beijing, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
Now, the Department of Tourism is hoping that the return of e-Visa would be the start of a renewed and robust Chinese tourism market, to be felt in the first quarter of 2026.
Tourism Attaché to China Ireneo Reyes admitted that while the full benefits of the e-Visa program for China "could not be felt within the peak booking periods of 2025, we expect a more visible impact beginning the first quarter of 2026.”
The travails of Philippine tourism and the stupid discontinuance of the e-Visa program for two years resulted in decreased revenues, less livelihood opportunities and a negative contribution to GDP.
This should mark a dent in President Bongbong's foreign policy decisions---the lesson here is that tourism suffers when adventurous and insane political decisions are made. Such as what Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did recently when she crossed the line about the Taiwan issue.
In the local scene, our tourism was considerably hurt when Remulla advised the President to take away the e-Visa program from the DFA, as reported by the Inquirer.
Now that Chinese tourism in Japan is in the doldrums, it is time for the Philippines to work for a bigger slice of the tourism pie.
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