The Philippine tourism sector faces mounting scrutiny as official data reveals significant shortfalls in meeting visitor arrival targets, despite global travel volumes surpassing pre-pandemic benchmarks. While worldwide leisure travel expanded by approximately 4% annually, the archipelago nation recorded merely 6.48 million international arrivals in 2025—marking a marginal 0.76% increase from the previous year’s 5.94 million visitors and falling substantially below the government’s 7.7 million objective.
This performance gap has ignited intense political friction, culminating in a contentious Congressional hearing where Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco faced sharp criticism from Senator Raffy Tulfo. The legislator accused Frasco of prioritizing self-promotion over destination marketing, presenting evidence of her prominent appearance on magazine covers, promotional posters, and social media content intended to showcase the country’s attractions.
“The marketing approach is fundamentally flawed,” Tulfo asserted. “Instead of highlighting our pristine beaches, rich culinary heritage, and cultural assets, these materials disproportionately feature the Secretary’s likeness—a strategy that contrasts sharply with successful tourism campaigns in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand.”
Frasco defended her position, stating she neither authorized nor had prior knowledge of these promotional materials. “The cover photograph was extracted from event coverage without my consent,” she explained, emphasizing that the publications contained repurposed content rather than original interviews.
The Philippines’ tourism underperformance becomes particularly notable when compared to regional competitors. Neighboring Southeast Asian nations welcomed between 15 to 30 million visitors in 2024, while the Philippines struggled to reach even 7 million. Even with enhanced air connectivity—such as Emirates’ expanded flight schedules and targeted promotion to UAE residents—the country attracted only 40,000 Emirati and expatriate visitors in 2024, indicating deeper structural challenges beyond mere accessibility.
This political clash over tourism strategy emerges as the country implements new initiatives including visa-free entry programs for Chinese and Indian tourists, alongside digital nomad visas, suggesting that marketing execution rather than policy design may be hampering recovery efforts.