Overview of

Philippine
tourism
MELISSA A. FABICON
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY-
CARMONA CAMPUS
 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.
 OBJECTIVES:
01 Accept the economic value of the
tourist destinations in the different
provinces and cities of the Philippines;

02
Identify the various provinces in each
region and town, and chartered and
component cities in each province on a
blank map;
 OBJECTIVES:
03 Identify the major access routes to
major domestic destinations;

04
Name and describe major attractions in
each province;
 OBJECTIVES:
05 Know the cultural differences and
similarities among the major ethnic
groups in the country; and

06
Improve their research and
presentation skills.
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.
Philippine
airlines
Philippine
Airlines is the flag
carrier of the
Philippines and
the oldest
commercial airline
in Asia.
Cebu pacific
Cebu Pacific Air is
the largest low-
cost carrier in the
Philippines and
operates flights to
over 60 domestic
and international
destinations.
 AIRASIA
PHILIPPINES
AirAsia Philippines is a
joint venture between
AirAsia Group and Filipino
investors. It offers low fares
and frequent flights to 13
domestic and 9
international destinations.
 ROYAL AIR
PHILIPPINES
Royal Air Philippines is a
former charter airline that
started regular scheduled
services in 2017 using
three AVRO146-RJ100 jets.
It flies to 11 domestic and
2 international
destinations.
 SKYjET
AIRLINES
SkyJet Airlines is a
boutique leisure airline
that flies to four island
destinations in the
Philippines: Batanes,
Coron, Siargao, and
Boracay. It uses British
Aerospace 146 jet aircrafts.
 THE PHILIPPINES HAS
SEVERAL UNESCO WORLD
HERITAGE SITES
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the
identification, protection and preservation of cultural and
natural heritage around the world considered to be of
“outstanding value to humanity”. This is embodied in an
international treaty called the Convention concerning the
Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage,
adopted by UNESCO in 1972.
 These includes the following:
cultural baroque churches of the Philippines

San Agustin Church Sta. Maria Church

Manila Ilocos Sur

Paoay Church
Miag-ao Church
Ilocos Norte
Iloilo
 These includes the following:
historic town of vigan and the rice terraces of the Philippine
cordilleras are among those listed under cultural heritage

Vigan, Ilocos Sur Banaue Rice Terraces

Cordillera Administrative Region
 These includes the following:
UNESCO world heritage sites natural category

Mount Hamiguitan, Puerto Princesa

Davao Oriental Tubbataha Reef
Subterranean River
National Marine
Wildlife Sanctuary in National Park,
Park in Puerto
Eastern Mindanao Puerto Princesa
Princesa Palawan
Palawan
➢ Tourism in the Philippines has become a valuable
economic, social, and cultural driver.
➢ Its impact have been far and wide based on arrival
rates each year.
Two distinct types of tourism
International tourism DOMESTIC tourism
TOURISM THAT DEFINED AS TRAVEL
CROSSES NATIONAL MADE WITHIN ONE’S
BORDERS COUNTRY OF
RESIDENCE
Economic aspect
➢ 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.
Economic aspect
➢ 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.

➢ Spain colonizes us for more than 300

years and the Americans thereafter, have
made the Filipinos a melting pot of
different cultures.
Socio-cultural aspect
➢ 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.
Socio-cultural aspect
➢ Filipinos are also lovers of art in many
forms.
➢ 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 a’s of tourism
access accommodations

attractions activities
 The 4 a’s of tourism
access Land, sea, and air access to
and from the destination as
well as within the
destination should be
relatively fast and easy.
The 4 a’s of tourism
attractions
The main reason tourists
go to a destination is
because of its attractions.
 The 4 a’s of tourism
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.
 The 4 a’s of tourism
activities The destination should
also offer a variety of
activities located close to
Themes would include each other.
adventure, health and
wellness, medical, sports, The activities should be
MICE meetings, incentives, connected to each other
conferences, and events), with varying degrees
etc. within a similar theme.
Basic facts about 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.
➢ 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).
Basic facts about the Philippines
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.
Number of
islands
➢ There are 7,641
islands in the
Philippines (Barile
2017).
➢ Only around 2000
are inhabited
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).
 Major
landforms
highest point:
Mount apo
Mount Apo is the
largest and the tallest
solfataric mountain on
the island of
Mindanao and in the
entire Philippines
 Major
landforms
Oldest province:
aklan
Originally called Minuro,
Aklan is considered as
the oldest province in
the Philippines.
Number of
provinces
There are 81
Provinces as of
March 31, 2018
(Philippine
Statistics
Authority 2018).
4.a. Largest province
Palawan is the largest in
terms of land area at
17,030.75 sq. kms.

4.b. Smallest province

Batanes has a land area of 203.22
sq. kms. (De la Rosa, Fiestada,
Sanchez, and Mangahas 2018).
Basic facts about the Philippines
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.
Basic facts about the Philippines
d. language
➢ The Philippines has two official languages,
Filipino (or Pilipino) and English.
➢ Filipino has eight major dialects, in order of use:
Tagalog, Cebuano, llocano, Hiligaynon or
Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and
Pangasinense.
➢ There are about 76 to 78 major language
groups, with more than 500 dialects (DOT 2018).
 Basic facts about the Philippines
e. 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.
➢ 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.
Basic facts about the Philippines

➢ The Philippines has more

than 100 ethnic groups.
 Philippine culture
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.

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➢Filipinos have the concept of kapwa (others)
to refer to other people as an extension of
themselves.
➢Filipinos are lovers of art as evidenced by their
folk songs, cultural dances, rituals, festivals,
intricate architecture of churches and
ancestral houses.
➢Filipinos love topresentation
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family and friends.
➢Religion is an integral and inseparable aspect of
Filipino Culture.
➢Filipinos are generally family-oriented with adult
children continuing to stay in the family home.
➢Filipinos find reason to celebrate any and
all occasions.
➢Each region has its unique and distinct
characteristics
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f. Threats to preservation of
culture
➢ Language is said to be the bearer of culture.
➢ Mass media through radio, television, print, and
more recently, social media, has provided a
window to the world.
➢ New tastes, needs, and opinions are created
which contributes to the destruction of
traditional value systems.
 g. Life expectancy

Source: United Nations Development Programme

Department
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 g. Life expectancy
The average life expectancy in the Philippines has been steadily
increasing over the years.
As of 2024, the current life expectancy for the Philippines is
approximately 71.79 years. This represents a significant improvement
compared to previous decades.

2024 71.79 years

2023 71.66 years
2022 71.53 years
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2021 71.41 years
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2020 71.28 years

 conclusion:
The Philippines has a very distinct culture as a
result of colonization and influences from
neighboring countries. Filipinos are hard workers
who strive to improve the lives of their family's
future generations. This country's vibrant,
exciting, and diverse culture is a result of the
melting pot theory.
 THANKS!
Does anyone have any questions?

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