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 The
Philippines has suffered in the tourism stakes because of its
position on the map. Imelda Marcos
once said it was "hamburgered" geographically.
What she meant was that the Philippines receives fewer visitors than
other Southeast Asian countries - about two million a year compared
to Thailand's six million - because it is not part of the Southeast
Asian mainland. Travellers on the traditional Asian trails tend to
get as far as Thailand or Hong Kong, but ignore the Philippines because
it involves an extra flight, albeit it a short one, across the South
China Sea.
Perversely, it is this very lack of mass tourism that makes the
Philippines such an appealing destination. If you want to explore,
and if you are ready to cope with some eccentric infrastructure
and a distinctly laid-back attitude towards the passage of time,
the Philippines has more to offer than many of its neighbours.
The Philippines is a big country in a small package. It is the
second largest archipelago in the world, with 7107 islands (sixty
percent of them uninhabited) and 58,390km of coastline, all in
a land mass no bigger than Arizona. Filipinos refer to it as their
string of pearls. Your biggest problem is likely to be deciding
which of the pearls to see first. |
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