EDITORIAL - Top travel destination

In the Philippines, according to the Huffington Post, tourists get value for their money. A recent survey by the popular online news aggregator and blog site’s travel section picked the Philippines as one of the top 10 “Places to Go” around the world – sites that “can deliver big but cost little.” Among the other countries on the list are Greece and India.

Earlier, popular travel guide Lonely Planet also picked the Philippines as one of the top value destinations for 2014. Other websites and magazines have also included individual destinations in the Philippines on their lists of the world’s best in various travel categories.

The country should build on the international attention it is generating in the travel industry. Competition is fierce, especially within the region, for foreign visitors. With air safety restrictions on the country being eased, an aggressive effort must be undertaken to have more direct flights between the Philippines and foreign destinations particularly in Europe.

As the recent spate of good reviews abroad indicated, the country has much to offer international travelers, from shopping in Manila to swimming with whale sharks and exploring some of the world’s best diving sites.

What the destinations need is enhancement, through improvements in tourism infrastructure. The government is aiming for 10 million tourist arrivals by 2016, but accommodations are limited. Transportation facilities, from airports and ports to road networks and tourist buses, need major upgrading. Filipinos are renowned for hospitality, but most tour guides can use skills training.

A test of the nation’s capacity as a travel destination will come next year, when Metro Manila hosts the annual leaders’ summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. The nation must ensure that the summit will be a showcase of the Philippines’ best.