Why our Dive Industry does not get too much exposure in North America?

[bisugo767]

Jag, not all North Americans like the high-roller fancy schmancy tourism. The reason why they can afford the fancy schmancy stuff is because airfare (from major US cities) is dirt cheap to any Caribbean, Mexican, Belizean, and Bahamas destinations. Also, travel time is kept to a bare minimum given the limited time they have for vacations. So their expenses just even out. I would say that the average North American would go for something like Atlantis Resorts in the Philippines. Some or a lot I should say, who have a little more time in their hands prefer even more modest accomodations and backpack-style travelling. After gathering and digesting all the feedback on this thread, I do not expect to get a lot of North Americans to visit the Philippines simply for the reasons that I recently summarized in this thread but maybe a few more.

The thing is that if we can increase the number of visitors from North America then it would be great for our tourism industry. We are already heavily promoting tourism in Europe, might as well use the same formula and try to attract visitors from North America. Doesn't really hurt to do it.

Phil

let's chum the water even more...

DO we want more american/ north american tourism? i mean, reading the previous posts (and save for those willing to "backpack it" like david, ben, hank and a few more) it appears that many american tourists really prefer the high-roller fancy schmancy tourism destinations more associated with the carribean, jamaica, mexico...

so why fight it? if it's cheaper for joe to fly to belize than manila why force him over here?

 

[Zippsy]

yes. it's under construction. it's along the main road heading up to fairways & bluewaters. here's a quick snap i took when i saw the shangri-la sign

Boracay has a road????????????? :O

 

[Hank49]

imagine kor-ilocano

You're quick, that's a good one.

 

[Hank49]

Boracay has a road????????????? :O

Been a while, eh dude? And you can't land boats on the beach anymore for arrivals. Everyone comes in on the south end facing Caticlan and you have to tricicad to where ever you're going. So, the traffic is worse, the sewage is uncontrolled, the white beach is turning brown...it ain't what it used to be, but what is? At least Yapak and the high current dive sites haven't changed much.
Land is now US$350/m2. In 1986 I could have gotten it for $1.

 

[chip104]

Yeah, I said it before and I'll say it again. I remember when White beach had only a handful of resorts, it wasn't crowded so people went topless (as a kid this was the ultimate awesome ), the bats flew over the entire island when the sun set, and aside from the resorts the only form of entertainment I saw was a pool table underneath an open nipa hut. This was back in the 1989 when Club Panoly was newly built.

But I go to Boracay to party on the beach. Yes, it is a shame it isn't how it used to be, but there really aren't many places in the PI that are built up as much as Boracay. IMO we need a place in the PI that will cater to that particular crowd. And there are many other beaches in the PI I could enjoy that aren't as high traffic. The day every single beach in the PI becomes like Boracay, that's when I'll begin to worry!

 

[bisugo767]

I have not been to Boracay in my entire life. That's because when I was young back in the 70's Boracay was just an undiscovered white sanded beach. The over-crowded beaches were ones in Batangas. Now, I have been hearing feedback about Boracay being an very commercialized place having a non-relaxing beach atmosphere. I think I would associate it with Cancun, a party-hardy crowded place (especially during school breaks and summer).

My dream is for the government to provide the necessary infrastructure in Palawan to support tourist travel from divers, spelunkers, hikers, backpackers, etc. Puerto Princessa could become the party-hardy place. The farther south you go, the more isolated you get all the way to the tip. There are a lot of reefs that dot the Palawan coastline that have yet to be dived. Lots of potential and a good place to start from scratch. There are also underwater cavern/river systems in Palawan. Has anyone tried to dive these caverns? I know of boat rides into these caverns but not diving. In Mexico, they call these Cenotes and visitors can dive in them. I dove the Cenotes once and swimming in 200-ft viz is awesome coupled with seeing small underwater life that you can only find in caverns!

Honestly, I do not think that there would be a lot of crowded beaches around the Philippines for the simple reason that it is so difficult and tedious to reach them. I guess this is a blessing in disguise to prevent further molestation and over-crowding of beaches around the Philippines. Open up google earth and scan the beaches along Cagayan province in Northern Luzon (especially the North Eastern tip that stick out into the Pacific). There seem to be white sand in some stretches of beach. It is off the beaten path...dirt road stuff. Ssshhh! let us not get the word out!

Phil (bisugo767)

IMO we need a place in the PI that will cater to that particular crowd. And there are many other beaches in the PI I could enjoy that aren't as high traffic. The day every single beach in the PI becomes like Boracay, that's when I'll begin to worry!

 

[wndrlst02]

This has been an interesting thread and I agree with a lot of the reasons pointed out. I thought I'd share my personal experience and give it a more "practical' flavour.

Quick background of myself: I was born in the Philippines and but have been living in Toronto for almost 20 years. I took up diving because I love to travel. I have gone back to the Philippines about 5 years in a row, partly to see family, and partly to do some diving. While I haven't been to many of the must-dive places in the world, I would say that the Philippines is definitely one of the best places I've been to.

I just recently came back from diving in San Andres, Colombia. Diving was great, quite similar to Honduras, but not as great as the places I've been to in the Philippines. Having said that, I booked a last minute trip from Toronto in an all-inclusive resort. This took me all of 10 minutes to book the flight and the hotel with a local travel company that specializes in diving. I would typically book a dive package as well, but for this trip I had to wait until I get to Colombia because the dive shop won't accept the credit card payment from Toronto. The agency did tell recommend several shops, so once I was in San Andres, I walked around town and chose a dive shop without hassle.

Contrast this to what I would go through when I go to the Philippines. For one, I don't know of any travel agencies specializing in diving that can take care of flights to the country plus all travel within the country and hotels and diving. When I do my own research (and I do use this board quite a bit as a resource), I'll email a local dive shop to get specific info, but half of the time, no one emails me back. If I want to go to a few dive spots in one trip, like Puerta Galera and Palawan, I have to take care of all the transfers that it becomes a very time consuming task. It also gets quite confusing, even for me who is at least familar with the country, especially trying to figure out how I can get to someplace, let's say from Manila to Bohol.

Just yesterday, I have a friend in California who asked me about going diving in the Philippines. They have been all over the world, including Papa New Guinea, Galapagos, Sea of Cortez, etc. and I was telling her about all the great places I've been to. She asks me which operator do I use to book a trip (she travels with someone who has special needs), and unfortunately after all these years of booking my dive trips to the Philippines, I don't know how to make it easier for her.

I would like to dive Tubbataha and maybe Palawan for my next trip, but I know I'll probably have to spend hours trying to research and put this trip together.

 

[rhadamantus]

bttmdwllr, thanks for noticing this thread and taking interest. At least, there might be a chance that all this feedback will help DOT with their marketing efforts in North America. BTW, in case you don't know, there is a major scuba show aimed for the General Public on the US west coast called Scuba Show 2008 (SCUBA Show 2008 - June 21 & 22, 2008. Long Beach Convention Center. THE Diving Event of the Year!). I am planning to attend this one in June and get a feel as to how the Philippines is being promoted over at the West Coast.


Phil (bisugo767)

i am just thinking... why don't you come over to PI and dive our dive sites? its always easier to understand the problem or the challenges or the opportunities if you have the personal feel of what you are trying to promote. seriously.

 

[Zeeman]

...The reason why they can afford the fancy schmancy stuff is because airfare (from major US cities) is dirt cheap to any Caribbean, Mexican, Belizean, and Bahamas destinations. Also, travel time is kept to a bare minimum given the limited time they have for vacations. So their expenses just even out. ...

It seems to me you have kind of answered your own question in a lot of ways here. It seems to me that if there are multiple destinations with similar experiences, most people will pick the closest, easiest and cheapest (based on what they want, of course). It much harder to get to the Caribean or Mexico from, say, Innsbruck or Berlin, or even Sydney, than, say, Austin or Minneapolis. Really, it isn't like the yanks don't have good diving available. they have Florida, San Diego and Hawaii (to name just a few) in their own country. You really do need to offer something special to entice these people to visit SE Asia. And, of course, there are the additional problems of then getting them to consider PI...

The thing is that if we can increase the number of visitors from North America then it would be great for our tourism industry. We are already heavily promoting tourism in Europe, might as well use the same formula and try to attract visitors from North America. Doesn't really hurt to do it.

Phil

Phil, I have to ask.. how often do you go to PI, and have you been to the place a tourist may visit? Not 8 or 10 years ago, but within the last 3 - 5 years? My question is why does it HAVE to be the Us tourist? why not Russians? The new money in Eastern Europe? Even the Aussies?

Thanks to our location, we are pretty much prime candidates for visiting your country - our $ is worth money too... We have no borders with any nation, and it costs about $500 - $700 to fly to the nearest pacific island, It is possible to get to Manila for $850 if you try hard enough.

Just seems to me you are obsessed with the American tourist, and yet are almost totally ignoring other potential markets that can bring in just as much income and development.

Having said that, I like visiting PI BECAUSE of the lack of development, I kind of like staying in a place where electricity is only available for 10 hours a day, and the internet is only avaiable from a solar powered net cafe located in a school a 30 minute walk away. Where I can dive with me and my girlfriend, and see no one else but the DM on the dive. I'm talking, of course, of places like Cabilao, and, to an extent, Malapascua, not so much the PG's and Boracays.

Maybe the tourist you should be promoting PI to is the one who would otherwise go to Nepal to hike through the Himalayan valleys, or the ones who want to trek through the forests of Borneo. The ones with a bit of a lust for adventure and to go to places that aren't developed.

When I went to Cambodia, I loved it because I felt like I was walking into an Indiana Jones movie, some parts of PI make me feel like Jacques Cousteau. Sell it to people who want to live the adventures of their heroes. I think you get my point.

And finally, I wouldn't really bother so much with the sort of person who is stressed about terrorism or instability. The sort of person who is not capable of finding out the truth for themselves about the actual risks, is also the type who wont take responsibility for themselves,and those types tend not to appreciate countries like PI.

It seems like you are kinda of targeting the "Pod People" tourists, you know.. the cruise ship types. The types who go to a tropical destination and then close the windows and blinds and sit in the room with the air con on the whole time. They will venture out of their room for a few minutes a day to buy a burger and fries, and to by the trinkets that were made in China in the souvenir shop. then back to th air con room to drink Coke and watch Baseball on cable. They are unwilling to immerse themselves in the local culture, food and the new experiences that can be had.

Anyway I'll stop there, Maggie says I'm writing a novel...

Z...

 

[jonix]

i am just thinking... why don't you come over to PI and dive our dive sites? its always easier to understand the problem or the challenges or the opportunities if you have the personal feel of what you are trying to promote. seriously.

ditto.

just a word of caution phil if you're thinking that PI department of tourism will be the same without senator gordon think again. wow philippines (in my sig) is the brainchild of senator gordon. after him the campaign was lost...it was during his time that you'll see the ads on cnn and that really gave us exposure. what remains is a website with very little info. makes you think what his successors have been doing all these years.