Reviving the country’s declining tourism is not just about beautifying airports and refurbishing branding—it is about livability.
Dropping the iconic “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” slogan in 2023 may have been intended as a rebranding, but with how stressful it is to travel around the country, the decision feels comedically honest. Getting around the Philippines is often anything but fun, and this reality affects not only tourists but even Filipinos themselves.
From January to November 2025, the Department of Tourism logged 5.235 million visiting tourists in the Philippines, a number that is not only below pre-pandemic levels but is also behind our ASEAN neighbors. Singapore’s tourism board recorded 16.9 million international arrivals in 2025, Vietnam recorded 19.2 million tourists, and Malaysia had 28.2 million visitors in only the first eight months of 2025. It is no coincidence that the Philippines is similarly behind these countries in transport infrastructure, as reported by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies’ (PIDS) May 2025 paper on road and rail transport infrastructure.
Citing the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Global Competitiveness Index—the last report before the pandemic—PIDS noted that the Philippines scored an average of 41.5 in transport infrastructure. This pales in comparison to Singapore’s 91.7, Malaysia’s 66.4, and Vietnam’s 52.2. Similarly, the country scored 1.7 in railroad density, well behind Singapore (281.5), Malaysia (6.8), and Vietnam (7.6).
Much of the discourse on the Philippines’ tourism slump has focused on improving branding, advertising tourist destinations, and other ways the country can present itself to the world. Although reviving the old slogan might help rekindle familiarity, making it “more fun in the Philippines” necessitates an internal solution rather than an outward-facing one.
After experiencing how transportation fared in Japan and Singapore, I found myself not just looking back on the destinations I had been in, but also on the journey using quality public transport. And to think that the incredible infrastructure there is a mundane sight to the country’s citizens. What was a daily commute for the locals became a spectacle for me!
It is important not to treat developments for visitors and the average citizen as two different worlds, as the public services and infrastructure enjoyed by the locals are also part of these tourists’ vacations. It is a concept that our Southeast Asian neighbors appear to be taking note of. Malaysia’s 28.24-million visitor statistic, which is roughly five times higher than the Philippines’ in a shorter amount of time, did not come to fruition because its beaches or food are five times better than ours, but because getting to those destinations is exponentially easier.
It would be more fun in the Philippines if we took cues from Singapore’s integration of smart technologies into its infrastructure, Malaysia’s walkability for car-free travel, as well as Indonesia and Vietnam’s development of mass transit to rural areas. It would make it more fun not just for tourists, but also for regular Filipinos.
Getting more tourists is not about putting up a fabricated image of an island paradise; rather, it should be about improving the lives of the people who are here because they are the ones who experience the everyday struggles. Ultimately, a nation’s ability to ensure high quality of life and a stable society for its citizens is the most compelling attraction, far outweighing the appeal of any marketing campaign or tourist gimmick.
This article was published in The LaSallian’s March 2026 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSMar2026.
