I’ll be honest. Watching President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address left me so disappointed.
To be fair, I’ve never been a fan of BBM or the Marcoses. But he is our President, elected by the Filipino people, and like any citizen who wants this country to succeed, I have always hoped he would lead us well. Every SONA is an opportunity to understand where the country is headed and how the government intends to get us there.
The President spoke for more than an hour. He talked about corruption, food security, energy, infrastructure, education, healthcare and the many challenges confronting ordinary Filipinos. These are all important issues, and they deserved the attention they received.
What surprised me was what I didn’t hear: there was virtually no discussion about tourism.
Perhaps that omission would have gone unnoticed by many. But for those of us whose lives and livelihoods revolve around tourism, it was impossible to ignore.
For decades, I have worked in this industry, not only as a tourism entrepreneur but also as someone who has helped promote destinations, worked alongside local governments and advocated for communities that depend on visitors for their income. I have seen first-hand how tourism can transform lives. I’ve also seen how quickly those gains disappear when the industry is neglected.
That is why I found the silence so disappointing.
Tourism is often viewed as an industry built on beautiful beaches and holiday destinations. It is much more than that. It is one of the country’s strongest economic drivers and one of the biggest sources of employment outside Metro Manila.
The latest figures tell the story.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, tourism contributed ₱2.27 trillion directly to the economy in 2025, accounting for 8.1% of the country’s gross domestic product. While domestic tourism continued to grow, spending by international visitors declined by 6.4%. At the same time, tourism supported 7.7 million jobs, representing 15.7% of total employment nationwide.
Those numbers deserve attention because they represent real people, not just economic indicators. Behind every statistic is a hotel employee, a tricycle driver, a tour guide, a restaurant owner, a farmer supplying fresh produce or a family running a small homestay.
The Department of Tourism’s own figures tell a similar story. Visitor arrivals remained largely unchanged from the previous year at around 6.48 million, while tourism receipts fell almost 10%. The government also missed its own arrival targets and subsequently lowered its expectations for 2026.
For an industry that contributes trillions of pesos to the economy and supports millions of Filipino jobs, these should have been part of the national conversation.
The irony is that the Philippines has never lacked world-class destinations.
Year after year, Palawan, Boracay and Siargao continue to earn international recognition as some of Asia’s best islands. The world already knows what we have.
Our challenge has never been beauty. Our challenge has always been competitiveness.
Neighbouring countries continue to welcome significantly more visitors than we do. Malaysia attracts tens of millions. Thailand does the same. Vietnam continues to grow aggressively. Meanwhile, the Philippines is still trying to regain the momentum it enjoyed before the pandemic.
The President spoke about infrastructure, and I agree that better airports, roads and transport links are important. But tourism cannot be reduced to concrete and asphalt.
A strong tourism industry requires a clear strategy. It requires better air access, more reliable inter-island connectivity, sensible visa policies, sustained destination marketing and a commitment to protect the very places people travel halfway around the world to see. Most importantly, it requires ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach the communities that welcome our visitors every day.
Without those pieces working together, we will continue building infrastructure without fully unlocking tourism’s potential.
This is not about asking government to give tourism special treatment.
It is about recognizing tourism for what it already is: one of the country’s most important economic sectors.
Tourism creates opportunities where few industries can. It brings investment into provinces, supports thousands of small businesses and gives communities a reason to protect their natural and cultural heritage. When managed responsibly, tourism becomes one of the most inclusive forms of economic development because its benefits extend far beyond the airports and hotels.
Perhaps the President felt that other issues demanded greater attention this year. That is understandable. Every administration must make difficult choices.
But when an industry contributes more than ₱2 trillion to our economy and provides livelihoods for 7.7 million Filipinos, it deserves more than a passing mention.
The Philippines does not need another reminder that we are home to some of the world’s most beautiful islands.
We already know that.
What we need is the political will to transform that natural advantage into sustainable, inclusive growth that benefits every Filipino whose future depends on tourism.
That is a conversation I hope we finally hear in the next SONA.
