The Philippines has a PR problem. While it harbors as many islands as the Caribbean and some of the most spectacular reefs on the planet, the nation sees only a fraction of the visitors of nearby Thailand. Even travel companies, it seems, have bought the bad rap: Other than the occasional sea kayaking trip, U.S. guides have largely avoided the archipelago.

But Wilderness Travel has finally gotten wise. This May (2010) the outfit will lead clients high into the 4,000-foot Cordillera Central, then deep into the world’s most biodiverse marine environment. The trip begins in Banaue, where travelers spend days hiking into terraced mountains and nights back at the town’s namesake hotel (pine cabins, private balconies, killer views). Then it’s down to the island of Cabilao, trading butterflies for fish species of them.

For the next five days, you’ll bob around reefs, scanning the area’s 350 varieties of coral (including table coral that’s a whopping nine feet wide). But don’t forget: The best snorkeling starts at dusk. “It’s like being in a train station during commuting hours,” says Barbara Banks, Wilderness Travel’s director of new trip development. “The day fish are moving out and the night creatures like octopuses and eels are moving in.”

Outfitter:Wilderness Travel; wildernesstravel.com
Price: $3,300 ($$)
Length: 12 days
Departs: May

The Wilderness Travel chose a great itinerary. But we know Philippines has a lot more to offer. The Iloilo province alone lists 64 festivals a year, an average of more than 5 festivals a month.

The PR problem, however, is not because of the lack of information about Philippines but because of the “bad” publicity about it. When I searched some trusted travel websites (like the National Geographic, etc.) about Philippines, I found articles like corruption, flood and dengue fever, and especially kidnapping, affecting the image of the Philippines abroad and scaring foreign visitors away.

On the other hand, tourism in the Philippines is not totally dependent on foriegn tourists. Despite the influx recently of Korean and Japanese tourists, local and balikbayan travelers make a significant contribution into the tourism industry. Thus the DOT’s video clip ‘Biyahe Tayo’ and a slogan years ago ‘H’wag  maging dayuhan sa Sariling Bayan” targeting local tourists.

For Filipinos, it is a matter of promoting this local travel especially with their balikbayan relatives. Staying in your hometown is okay but moving around and visiting other places is better. Witness the different town fiestas and the colorful festivals; visit historic places, churches, fortresses; and do nature adventure activities, etc.. If you don’t have any family or friends to visit, dont worry, most of the celebration starts with a food festival. It is cheaper than traveling abroad like Singapore or Hong Kong, it’s few hours away, it doesn’t have a security issues of national or international interest (like kidnapping of foreigners) and it helps a lot the local tourism industry. But nevertheless, being included in the National Geographic’s “25 Best New Trips for 2010″ is a big boast in Philippine’s image as a foreign tourist destination.

source: nationalgeographic.com