What does Manila need to make it more tourist friendly?

Question

What element (infrastructure, event, feature, etc) does Manila lack? What could we do/fix in Manila to make it more attractive to visitors (both foreign and local)?

Answer 1

More clean washrooms(toilets), sidewalks, free up to date maps and transportation guides, trustworthy money changers, clean restaurants, clean and safe hotels/ motels, especially for those tourists on tight budget that are looking for affordable but safe and clean hotels/motels to stay. Free tourists assistance center/concierge.

Maybe Manila could adopt the Hawkers Food Stalls they have in Singapore. Cheap but clean place to eat (strictly monitored by health authorities). It's somewhat a fusion of the carenderia and foodcourt.

With events and attractions, I think Manila and the Philippines as a whole have many things to offer to the visitors.

Answer 2

Why I wouldn't recommend Manila are the following reasons:

6. Inadequate obsolete national highway system.
5. A trip to Mayon or Ilocos Norte takes way to long for a tourist. Many beautiful places but often hard to reach because there are thousands of Islands. Most of the eco famous places or not on Luzon.
4. There's no widespread or main resort area--no paradise in Manila. Although along the Manila or Laguna bay would be ideal, there just inst' any place to really lure in the tourists. While Manila has a lot of room for low end tourists, there's limited availability of high end tourist resorts in Manila area. Cebu is a great example of what Manila needs.
3. Too much pollution. This includes air pollution and garbage in the streets.
2. Frequent bombings and widespread corruption.

The Number One Reason: The plane ticket's too much. I mean from LA to PI is more expensive than LA to Paris or Rome. There's no real point during the year when tickets get very inexpensive. For example, there are times when a trip to Paris is only a few hundred US dolars, but that never happens for a trip to PI.

Answer 3

What Manila lacks?

Well even the most popular tourist destinations lacks something... but if there's one thing the Philippines needs to have an increased amount of to become one, it's security.

I have known many people who travel to Asia from Europe and they all seem to avoid the Philippines, and I can't really blame them.
What good will the natural beauty and fascinating culture of a country do if the visitors do not feel secure enough to see and experience them?
I am soon gonna be bringing my european girlfriend to Manila and her security (as always), will be my primary concern. Come to think of it, there is so much of Manila I want to show her but can't because it's too dangerous.

Then, when it's secure enough... clean up the place.

Answer 4

The thing that Manila badly needs is a "safe" environment. We are seen as unsafe

1. pickpockets
2. hold uppers, con artists, including moneychangers who do tricks
3. taxi drivers who rip off tourists
I do not even regard the occasional bombings as deterrents in this category.

We can provide all the infrastructure, create Guiness-record-breaking events, do all promos in the hotels and tourist destinations, do airline promos with huge huge discounts, and they would still not come. Because how can one enjoy if they are constantly watching out not to be mugged, held-up or ripped off?

Other countries with less adequate infrastructure (Vietnam, for example) would attract tourists more than the the Philippines would.

To be honest, if I were a tourist myself, I would not go to the Philippines because I always want to enjoy my holidays, and Manila will not provide me that overall environment.

Answer 5

A better Airport System, A good land transportation management (public bus, taxi, jeepney must all be regulated by the government) and a walkable manila would be sufficient enough to marvel at the beauty of manila

Answer 6

I think Manila has to adopt a more effective and strict implementation and enforcement of the local ordinances. This will bring back the "discipline" we had once before. We have "over-celebrated" our so-called "freedom", that most of us forgot to throw candy wrappers and cigarette butts in the garbage can. We also forgot to put more "visible" garbage bins. Also, we have a poor traffic engineering. They spent the budget in building and installing steel barricades and cages which made the streets and sidewalks look like a zoo. I don't know... maybe we should change our checklist when electing the officials to govern us.

Answer 7

We can make Manila as clean and safe as Singapore but foreign tourists would still rather go to Singapore. Why? The culture in Manila and the Philippines in general is very western and familiar to foreigners. As my American raised cousin would say, it is like he has not left home or he has simply gone to Chinatown. These foreign tourists want exotic places. Take for example India. It is as poor and dirty as the Philippines yet tourists go there in droves because they want to experience India's rich culture. We should promote and develop more our cultural heritage, our dance, our songs, our literature, hell even our ancient alphabets, the baybayin.

Answer 8

pinpoint areas of interest and work to make them pedestrian friendly-

be strict with cab drivers so that they don't choose whom they service, and they don't try to stiff the passenger

clean up the streets of manila (the city of manila itself); it's not fun avoiding trash and dog poo in some streets. not to mention vagrants sleeping on the sidewalk, beggars, and streetchildren chasing you and asking for coin.

make it safe for travellers to explore the city - more police visibility in tourist areas, well lit streets and corners

promote philippine art, culture, history, cuisine, and natural wonders (beaches, mountains, produce and products from particular towns) and make them the focal point of luring in visitors- sell what is unique to the Philippines so that people will not go elsewhere

a "visit manila" kiosk located in areas of interest, with maps, suggestions, schedules of plays/concerts/shows/events in the area.
(here in new zealand we have the i-site. it's basically a place that assists visitors- whether local or foreign. most of the bigger towns and cities have an i-site where there's a map of the area, a map of the greater region, brochures of what to see, what to do, what's on in that particular town on that particular month, nearby places to drive to, activities to do. where to stay, how to get where the person wants to go. the i-site is also equipped with clean restrooms and sometimes we can buy discounted tickets to nearby attractions from the i-site. it just encourages citizens to explore their country because they have a starting point in the major cities/towns in the form of an i-site. )

Answer 9

A River Fair! Clean up the banks of the Pasig, and put up bazaars, like what we have in Marikina. And then, put in a lot of passenger boats with lots of banderitas. To take people around the districts of Manila, and even out to the breakwaters, parking on the Bay with Luneta in view.

Answer 10

This news is old. I first read it on Yahoo! back in December 2006. (And yes, Manila is included in the Top 5 Most Searched Destination in Yahoo!, although the reasons can be pretty much debatable.)