Philippines vs Thailand: Why the Tourism Dream Failed
Is the Philippines Tourism Dream DEAD in 2025? Here’s the honest truth about why travelers are choosing Thailand and Vietnam instead. Living in the Philippines as a foreigner in Samar with my Filipina wife, I’m seeing the tourism crisis firsthand.
In this Philippines travel reality check, we break down the three reasons tourists aren’t coming back: rising costs, infrastructure friction, and the “bahala na” attitude. Plus, the controversial truth about what happens when locals tell foreigners to “just leave.”
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – The Tourism Crisis Nobody Talks About
1:02 – The Numbers: Philippines vs Thailand vs Viet Nam vs Malaysia
2:15 – Why “Chill Mode” Works for Expats But Not Tourists
3:14 – The “Bahala Na” Problem
4:09 – The Economic Reality of “Then Leave”
05:07 – Is The Dream Dead
05:45 – Are We too Hard
Living in the Philippines isn’t like the travel vlogs show. This is expat life Philippines without the filter – the real cost of living, infrastructure struggles, and why I still choose to stay despite the challenges.
Are you planning to move to Philippines or retire in Philippines? Watch this before you book your ticket.
👉SUBSCRIBE for honest Philippines expat reality, provincial life in Samar, and real talk about Southeast Asia living.
Living in the Philippines as an expat – no tourist fluff, just real life. 🇵🇭
More real-talk videos about expat life in the Philippines here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrFzBy1yqQcsi0241CQou1zsBJg2pCiL2
Watch the full Philippines reality check playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrFzBy1yqQcstGBgM95DrWVDlfihd9gGT
http://www.buymeacoffee.com/fishtankmedia
https://web.facebook.com/FishtankMediaPH
https://x.com/FishTankMed
https://www.instagram.com/fishtank_media/
#philippinestravel travel 2025 #philippines tourism #living in the philippines #expat life philippines #philippines travel vlog #philippines vs thailand #philippines travel guide #retire in the philippines #philippines tourism crisis #why tourists are leaving philippines #philippines too expensive #truth about philippines travel #philippines vs vietnam #is philippines safe for tourists #honest philippines review #philippines problems
32 Comments
They r poor because the dont wanna work. Simple. Just let them perish.
I've lived in the Philippines for 6 years. Believe it or not, the one person who has said to me 'if you don't like it leave' is actually my wife. Yes, the woman I met who was living out of a suitcase in HK and whom I 'rescued' from a life of servitude as an OFW, the woman for whom I have bought 3 houses and whom I set up in business, the woman whom I have bought cars and motorcycles, the woman whose daughter I have supported for 12 years through her education at high-school and at university and the woman whose family I employ in my business interests. Why? I dared to complain about haphazard garbage collection and inefficiency of local services that I pay for and the crappy state of the roads. She told me to leave if I didn't like it. I'm taking a trip to Thailand next month for visa purposes. I am strongly tempted not to come back.
Fish, I’m glad to see you have the stones to talk about something that many people will overlook, or run the other way.
I have not been to the Philippines since in the military, but I have watched things progress one way or another.
Your optimism is appreciated! Others, may see it as a challenge to their existence or even their livelihood.
There’s nothing wrong with the honesty of talking about many different Country’s where money can be spent. And it is every day!
Come to the Philippines where the people are friendly! Speak English! , , , , ,
I am new to your channel, enjoy your honesty and straight communication with reality!
I will be doing a vacation / scope out soon!
What is Philippines tourism? Private resorts, fenced off resort beaches, bars, bar girls, malls, colonial Spanish churches, scenic views from the road, and imitation low quality restaurants with western prices.That sums it up. It's a repeat wherever you go. Might be better off going to another country for a vacation.
You might say Philippines is good for expats living here for the low prices, but most don't have access to the Filipino prices, and will pay double price. Filipina women are expensive, because they are financially desperate.
High tourist entry includes foreign migrant workers border crossings everyday..
data should be base on Tourism Travel Receipt.
Philippines is more on a retirement place. You cannot appreciate the country by one week, but when you are immersed you will be coursed..
MERRY CHRISTMAS AMIGO! ❤️🇵🇭
I’ve had 2 philipinas tell me not to go to the Philippines as fair warning..and they live in the U.S.
I understand what you’re saying and there’s a lot of truth there. But in changing a culture to accommodate outsiders, at what point does it stop?
I’m reminded of the year I was stationed in Hawaii while in the military. My boat had changed home port and my EAOS still had a year to go. So off I went to Oahu.
If you stayed in the tourist spots it was like a version of Disneyland. Everyone smiling, pretty wahines draping leis around your neck and saying “aloha”.
Get outside the tourist bubbles and you would discover that many of the locals hated non Hawaiians. They hated the way they’d been exploited, the air of entitlement of the outsiders, the way their culture was denigrated and casually ignored by the mytai sipping crowd in Waikiki.
How bad the animosity was got shown when a tourist woman went to a local beach frequented by the locals. After she was gang raped in broad daylight the story hit the papers. A common response from the local population was, “Tough, she had it coming when she went there.”
That’s only one of several examples I could give from just a year of being stationed there.
Meanwhile back at the airport, local beauties kept giving out leis while smiling and saying “aloha”.
So now the Philippines is seeing a drop in tourism. At what point does accommodation in chasing the almighty dollar from tourism turn into selling your cultural soul?
Aren’t there other ways to improve the economy? Ways that may be more time consuming and infuriatingly slower but don’t exact the same cultural trade off?
0:11 look at the numbers , all the cheap-ass sexpat holiday maker destinations got their ass kick by a muslim country to be honest they dont give a shit either way , so folks just go someone else , Fxxk-me your almost guaranteed to return home disappointed
I like the topic, but you need to add data from year to year for past 10 years to support your subjective analysis about cost increases, tourism decrease, etc., and then compare to other SEA countries. I don't know if the numbers or your opinion is good or bad by themselves.
Once expats stop spending, the future looks stagnant.
I went to Thailand 7 years ago. I was so shock that it's a 1st world country with great quality for low cost, I felt it was more quality of life than USA. I go to Philippines recently island hopping, I am shock how backwards of a slum 3rd world country it is reminds me of Indian slums.
Bla…bla…bla…then leave dude…
Per Philippines Statistical Authority: Western-nation tourism to the Philippines is in the positive (2%) in 2025. Asian-nation tourism to the Philippines is down (6%) in 2025. DO NOT believe unresearched, hearsay in "drama queen" video titles by Youtubers.
Honestly cant count broad numbers since china pogo / ban drastically shafted the numbers … but where the "numbers" disirables nope… so yeah need to factor that in. Travel to the US is down also since the Biden freebie all terrorist welcome border debacle has been sorted. But yeah are the numbers down probably are there less hostiles yes … so is it a net win … yes
You are in a country of some 120 million people where 100 families own EVERYTHING !
And the truth is that they couldn't care less about their own people 🤔
So much for "the bad foreigners"…
just leave…..its fine
I live in Singapore and not sure what sanitised resort you mean. I think Thailand is probably better on a whole.
Thailand is in no better condition
In erster Linie wegen der Spiegel Brille
Philippines is great, but 90% of it's people suck. No integrity and no reciprocation from them for anything. They want everything free!
Stop having stupid dreams and enjoy life!You can do that everywhere!
Why would you like to live like a King in the first place?Just be very frugal and look for a nice place in Europe like Black forest area in Germany or Vienna or some nice places in France!
What nobody mentions is the Philippines counts returning Filipino overseas workers AS TOURISTS 😂😂😂
…the pathetic stated tourist numbers of the Failure-pines isn't even the full reality of how bad the situation is.
the thing what you not telling us is- if you marry one-you marry a whole family and relatives-they expect you support them financially as well!! so what gives-why would anyone with even half of the brain would do that??
Its still a good place if you have 2 months are more of time. However for the average tourist. No its over. There all gonna be in Vietnam. Cheaper and better service.
The PH costs to much for what you get and moving around is a pain in the azz.
I'm not hard on the PH. I'm hard on the filipinas.
Scary? PH was fine back then when theres low tourist and here you are scare mongering about dwindling tourist numbers. Just enjoy your life and stay in the place where you are comfortable instead of worrying about tourist numbers of a country that is not even your own. Yea you have other options so do exercise that option and go somewhere else 🤣
I travel to China every year. The fun is enjoying the local culture. It does help having friends and family there but it is still another world. I probably would enjoy the Philippines but mostly likely won't make it. Not enough time.
Background? As Bette Davis would say: What a dump!
This is nothing new. Filipinos are used to this. Many countries issue travel advisories against the country. Only vloggers are making tourists come.
NOt sure your states but Vietnam's tourism is down 85% and has a 4% return rate per the min. of travel and tourism