Kulelat? But of course!

From January to August this year, Vietnam welcomed a record high of nearly 14 million international tourists. In comparison, the Philippines recorded only 3.96 million arrivals, fewer than in the same period in 2024.

- BOO CHANCO

Of the total arrivals so far this year, foreign tourists fell by 35.3 percent to 3.6 million from 5.6 million in the same period in 2019. Overseas Filipinos registered a seven-fold increase to 361,456 from 48,161 in 2019.

From all indications, the tourism industry has bounced back in Southeast Asia. The Philippine tourism industry, however, is as usual, kulelat. We have not recovered from the pandemic numbers.

South Korea, the top visitor source for the Philippines, showed a notable drop in April of 35 percent.

Analyst Eric Jurado looked into the region’s hospitality industry and reported that as of Sept. 12, 2025, figures showed “a remarkable recovery and, in some cases, unprecedented growth compared with just three years ago, reflecting the region's post-pandemic rebound and structural shifts in tourism and travel...

“Vietnam and Indonesia are experiencing explosive growth... The Philippine market benefits from domestic tourism but...”

The impact of declining visitor numbers for the Philippines can be felt across the industry. Inadequate marketing support from the Department of Tourism is the common complaint heard from the industry players.

Yet, one wonders if the private tourism industry players and the DOT understand each other on what they mean by marketing support. The proposed $8 million promotions budget for 2026 is hardly enough to have a credible visibility in key markets.

The proposed 2026 DOT budget is just P3.7 billion. Compare that to the P142.7 billion that Sen. Chiz Escudero inserted into the 2025 national budget largely for flood control projects but also for general pork.

Then again, I understand that DOT has also been underspending its already meager budget.