Map of Marinduque from Tourism Website
I just finished reading Dave Starr article (www.liveinthephilippines.com) discussing the need to improve tourism in the Philippines. I agree with him 100%. Compared to other Asian countries, the Philippines is at the bottom of the barrel in attracting visitors worldwide. In 2007, China was number(#1) with 54 million visitors. This was followed by Malaysia ( 17 million), Singapore ( 14 million), and Vietnam ( 5 million). The Philippines only attracted 3.4 million tourists. Dave Starr attributed the poor performance of the Philippines to targeting the advertising money to the wrong audience. Instead of advertising the Philippines in major TV channels all over the world, the tourist ads are shown in Filipino TV channel in US and other countries to attract OFW's and Filipino immigrants/balikbayans and expatriates.
In Forbestraveler.com, the top 15 tourist attractions in Asia, not one listed is in the Philippines. China has 5, Japan 4, Hongkong 4 and Korea and Taiwan has one each. So what is wrong with Palawan's subterranean river, of Bohol's chocolate hills, of Marinduque's white beaches and fringing reefs and Benguets rice terraces? Nothing wrong about these places, except they are not known to tourists all over the world.
Again, these illustrates the point that tourism advertising money is targeted to the wrong clients/market.
So, Mr Ace Durano, our tourism chief and guru, please wake up and do you job now!
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