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Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948
safety issues.
lots of kidnap/robbery and lots of hostility to people with money. i know philippino people who have been set up by their own relatives.
Yeah. I heard the crime rate in Philippines and Indonesia is bad, especially compared to other Asian countries.
Also, the city of Manila in the Philippines has horrible pollution problems.
Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world for hurricanes, and tropical storms, and they usually get hit at least once or twice per year.
Also, it seems like most people think what they can find in Philippines/Indonesia they can easily still find in Thailand/Vietnam/Singapore/Taiwan and much more.
I easily prefer going to Thailand/Vietnam/Singapore/Taiwan any day over the Philippines/Indonesia.
love the Phils, I was there for 3 weeks earlier in the year but as part of a larger trip in Asia. I am hoping to return sometime soon and visit Palawan which I missed this time around.
Regarding the crime rate I didn't have any issues. I arrived in Manila at 10pm and took a cab from the airport, it was fine. The tourist areas are fine in Manila. The other areas are a lot safer. Cebu also seemed safe, at least a lot safer than some cities I've been to in South America. The only area that is a bit suspect is Mindanao which is the southernmost island and I didn't go there.
I particularly like the island of Bohol, I was based in a city called Tagbilaran and toured the island from there. Bohol has a lot of amazing beauty including the chocolate hills which are fairly interesting.
love the Phils, I was there for 3 weeks earlier in the year but as part of a larger trip in Asia. I am hoping to return sometime soon and visit Palawan which I missed this time around.
Regarding the crime rate I didn't have any issues. I arrived in Manila at 10pm and took a cab from the airport, it was fine. The tourist areas are fine in Manila. The other areas are a lot safer. Cebu also seemed safe, at least a lot safer than some cities I've been to in South America. The only area that is a bit suspect is Mindanao which is the southernmost island and I didn't go there.
I particularly like the island of Bohol, I was based in a city called Tagbilaran and toured the island from there. Bohol has a lot of amazing beauty including the chocolate hills which are fairly interesting.
I agree with you. I always felt safe. But, my family was a little paranoid for me. We got to Borocay this trip but not Palawan or Bihol. They are on my must see list for the next trip.
Malaysia's tourist arrival is boosted by 14 million Singaporeans who regularly do shopping in Malaysia because it's cheaper, there are also large number of Malaysians living in Johor who worked in Singapore and they also got counted in, so the figure of the real international tourist arrival would be sharply reduced. Malaysia however have a better marketing in terms of attracting tourist with the "truly asia" campaign (and yes they promote all parts of the country for tourist), so they do have bigger tourist arrival than of Indonesia and it's overly promoted Bali.
Thailand's popularity is factorized by the American soldiers during Vietnam war, so they got the first start than the others.
Location: Living near our Nation's Capitol since 2010
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We go to Asia at least twice a year for vacation. We have considered going to the Phils, but there is just too much crime and kidnapping for us to go. Yes, I would like to see the beaches there, etc, but there are simply too many other places to go that will allow us to see the natural beauty without the risks. We just got back from Fiji, it was safe, clean and the people were absolutely wonderful.
Malaysia is another place we have visited. We flew into Denpasar and stayed at one of the nice beach resorts. Bali is kind of a crazy place...the roads are terrible, the traffic is hideous, and there was no way we would attempt to drive there. Yet it is beautiful, the people are very nice and it is remarkably inexpensive. We hired a driver for a whole day and he took us out into the country side and to small villages, it was perfect. But, no way would we have done so in Jakarta...too many religious fanatics, kidnappings, etc. There were bombings of tourist hotels a while back. No thanks!
My tourist dollars go to nations who do not hate us. Recently we went to the Middle East and I said never again. Interesting to see, but clearly we were not welcome. By the way, although it is a little pricey, Singapore is fabulous.
I'm sorry to say this and I'm some will be offended by this but Filipino food isn't the best cuisine around. It's dreadful for the most part.
I've traveled to SE Asia both the easy way (Thailand, Bali) and the harder way (rest of Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines) and the latter is decidedly more challenging. Sometimes it's rewarding, but often it's not. I don't regret any of the trips we've taken but at this point when we return to SE Asia we're happy to settle in a pleasant resort in a quiet part of Thailand.
My favorite part of SE Asia is Malaysian Borneo, by the way.
As for what brings in tourists, it doesn't have a well-regarded airline or a tourist reputation.
Bangkok brings them in with a modern airport, painless immigration for westerners, a very good national airline, and a modern city with a modicum of safety.
Indonesia has its gems, but tourists are subjected to constant "give us $$$" at every turn. The visa on arrival is essentially just a foreign currency grab. A culture of corruption coupled with western wealth means that most tourists can be coerced into into surrendering anywhere from $5-50. The national airline was a complete basket case until very recently. Well-known problems like food safety and transportation difficulty don't help the image.
I would not be likely to visit the Philippines as a matter of cost, the lengthy flight and I've known quite a few people from the Philippines and none have nice things to say about it. They visit to see family only. Kind of shocking but it's the only place that locals have told me not to visit. I've even known people from Iraq who recommend going there one day.
Climate is my #1 consideration before I travel anywhere. Living in the desert, each year your body becomes more sensitive to humidity, so those countries are off-limits to me, as well as all of SE Asia!
No collisions with both heat and high humidity for me!
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