Despite its international recognition and the popularity of El Nido, Coron, San Vicente and Balabac, Palawan remains unfamiliar to many travelers, particularly in nearby Southeast Asian countries, Gov. Amy Roa Alvarez said.
Alvarez said the province’s participation in overseas travel events showed that its international rankings have not yet translated into broad awareness among potential visitors.
“Akala nila well-known po tayo, pero hindi talaga tayo well-known. Sa isip lang namin na well-known tayo. Pero sa buong mundo, no, hindi pa tayo well-known all over the world,” she said.
The governor made the statement during a press conference for the Palawan World’s Best Island Travel and Trade Expo 2026 at the Hari I function room of Princesa Garden Resort in Puerto Princesa City on Wednesday, August 19.
The expo will be held in Cebu from October 23 to 25 as part of the province’s campaign to reach more Filipino travelers and tourism industry partners.
Alvarez said Palawan has gained attention in some European markets through its repeated inclusion in international lists of the world’s best islands. Its destinations, including El Nido and Coron, have also become known for their beaches, lagoons and limestone formations, while San Vicente and Balabac continue to attract interest from travelers.
However, she said awareness remains limited in neighboring Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
“When I go to Singapore, other than the doctors that I bring here for medical missions every year, walang Singaporean tourists dito sa Palawan,” Alvarez said.
She pointed to Singapore as an untapped market because of its proximity and the capacity of many of its residents to travel.
“There are more than 5.9 million people in Singapore living there today that have more money and can afford to come here. Yet they don’t even know what Palawan or where Palawan is,” she said.
The province recognized the extent of the problem when its delegation joined a travel event in Singapore, according to Alvarez.
“In Southeast Asia, hindi nila alam ang Palawan,” she said.
Alvarez said the provincial government has engaged a Manila-based company to develop new branding and a wider tourism campaign. The project was initially targeted for launch during the Baragatan Festival but has been moved to next year.
“We want people to know and to see how we are the number one island in the world consistently,” she said.
She noted that the province has continued receiving international recognition despite limited funding for promotion.
“Imagine with zero funding from a lot of places devoted for promotions and all, we still manage to get this number one ranking island,” Alvarez said.
She said the province needs to invest more in tourism marketing because the industry, along with agriculture, is one of its main economic drivers.
“When I took over as governor, our tourism budget here for the province was smaller than a municipality’s budget for a year. So, there were no big promotions being done,” Alvarez said.
“We really need to get ourselves out there because our major industry here, other than farming, is really tourism,” she added.
Palawan Tourism Council (PTC) President Rix Rafols supported Alvarez’s assessment, saying the province is not yet the first destination many travelers associate with the Philippines.
“Alam niyo ba, we are not yet top of mind when they say Philippines. Hindi pa po Palawan ang top of mind ng visitors when we say Philippines. It is still the common other tourism destinations,” Rafols said.
The PTC and provincial government have conducted promotions in South Korea, Germany and other countries. The Cebu expo is part of their campaign to strengthen Palawan’s identity as one tourism destination rather than a collection of separate attractions.
Rafols said the campaign would highlight not only natural attractions but also the province’s residents, history and cultural heritage.
“We want to showcase that Palawan is the best island, not just because of its resources, but because we have so much to offer. We have our people, we have our history, we have our heritage, and of course, everything nature has given us,” he said.
Alvarez said promotion must be supported by improvements to airports, flight availability and other tourism infrastructure.
She said flights serving the province had fallen from more than 20 a day to about seven during the low season. She expressed hope that their frequency would recover by November or December.
“Our tourism arrivals have really gone down. I think we’re down to like seven flights a day na lang. So, this low season, dati 20 plus flights po tayo a day,” she said.
The governor also cited planned runway and terminal improvements in Coron, which could allow the airport to receive larger aircraft and direct international flights.
She called on local governments, national agencies and tourism stakeholders to work together to promote the province and ensure that increased visitor arrivals benefit local communities.
