Chapter 1 – INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION OF TOURISM
“We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape
us”
At the end of this chapter, the
students are expected to:
What is Tourism?
• Define what is tourism
Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon
• Know about the origins of
which entails the movement of people to countries or
tourism; places outside their usual environment for personal or
• Differentiate the inbound, business/professional purposes. These people are called
outbound and domestic tourism. visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists;
• Understand the big rule of residents or non-residents) and tourism has to do with
Tourism in the Philippines; their activities, some of which imply tourism expenditure
• Describe and know the (United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2008).
features, geographical locations
religions, government of the Definition of Tourist
Philippines Building on the definition of tourism, a
• commonly accepted description of a tourist is
“someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her
home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or
other reasons” (LinkBC, 2008, p.8). The United
Nations World Tourism Organization (1995) helps
us break down this definition further by stating
tourists can be:
• Domestic (residents of a given country travelling only within that country)
• Inbound (non-residents travelling in a given country)
• Outbound (residents of one country travelling in another country)
Origins of Tourism
Travel for leisure purposes has evolved from an experience reserved for very few
people into something enjoyed by many. Historically, the ability to travel was reserved for
royalty and the upper classes. From ancient Roman times through to the 17th century, young
men of high standing were encouraged to travel through Europe on a “grand tour” (Chaney,
2000). Through the Middle Ages, many societies encouraged the practice of religious
pilgrimage, as reflected in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and other literature.
The word hospitality predates the use of the word tourism, and first appeared in the
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14th century. It is derived from the Latin hospes, which encompasses the words guest, host,
PHILIPPINE TOURISM, GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE
Chapter 1 – INTRODUCTION
and foreigner (Latdict, 2014). The word tourist appeared in print much later, in 1772
(Griffiths and Griffiths, 1772). William Theobald suggests that the word tour comes from
Greek and Latin words for circle and turn, and that tourism and tourist represent the activities
of circling away from home, and then returning (Theobald, 1998).
Tourism in the Philippines
Tourism can play in a vital role in the economic growth of developing country
like the Philippines. In fact, tourism is currently one of the major forces driving our
nations progress. In 2001 the Philippines at traced some 1.8 million foreign tourists,
which translate to more than 2 billion dollar in revenue. This implies the people
continue to travel despite the escalating political conflicts and worldwide economic
crisis of the past few years. Tourism, it seems flourishes even in hard times.
Interestingly, studies conducted by the Department of Tourism (DOT)
indicate that the tourist market in the Philippines is composed of a greater
percentage of resident (Filipino) tourist than nonresident (Foreign) ones. In 2006, for
instance, more than eight million Filipinos (about a tenth of a nation’s total
population) traveled to various parts of the country, while inbound or foreign
travelers fell just bit short of the two million mark. This validates the statement of
the World Tourism Organization that domestic tourists, or persons traveling within
their own country, are ten times as many as international tourist and as a group,
spend seven times the amount spent by the latter.
It is clear fact that domestic tourism is a potent force in any country’s
economy. The fact that there is a lack of relevant, comprehensive, and up-to-date
analyses of this important aspect of tourism only indicates that we have not yet
maximized its potential as a major contributor to our economic growth.
Overview
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an island nation
located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its capital city. The Philippines
Archipelago comprises 7,641 islands in western Pacific Ocean. The country reflects
diverse indigenous Austronesia cultures from its many islands, as well as European
and American influence from Spain, Latin America and the United States.
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Geographic Location
The Philippine archipelago lies
in Southeast Asia, and numbers some
7,641 islands. The Philippines
occupies an area that stretches for
1,850 kilometers (1,150 mi) from about
the fifth to the twentieth parallels
north latitude. The total land area is
300,000 square kilometers (115,831 sq
mi), with cadastral survey data
suggesting it may be larger. This
makes it the 5th largest island country
in the world. Only approximately
1,000 of its islands are populated, and
fewer than one-half of these are larger
than 2.5 square kilometers (1 sq mi).
Eleven islands make up 95 percent of the Philippine landmass, and two of these —
Luzon and Mindanao — measure 105,000 square kilometers (40,541 sq mi) and
95,000 square kilometers (36,680 sq mi), respectively. They, together with the cluster
of islands in Visayas in between them, represent the three principal regions of the
archipelago that are identified by the three stars on the Philippine flag. The
Philippines is broken up in many islands by the sea. This gives it the fifth longest
coastline of 36,289 kilometers (22,549 mi) in the world. The Exclusive economic zone
of the Philippines covers 2,263,816 km2 (874,064 sq mi), 200 nautical miles (370 km)
from its shores. It is located between 116° 40', and 126° 34' E longitude and 4° 40' and
21° 10' N latitude and is bordered by the Philippine Sea to the east, the South China
Sea to the west, and the Celebes Sea to the south. The island of Borneo is located a
few hundred kilometers southwest and Taiwan is located directly to the north. The
Moluccas and Sulawesi are located to the south-southwest and Palau is located to
the east of the islands.
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The Philippines is divided into four levels of administrative divisions with the
lower three being defined in the Local Government Code of 1991 as local
government units (LGUs). They are, from the highest to the lowest:
Administrative Division
Regions (Filipino: rehiyon), mostly used to organize national services. Of the 17
regions, only one – the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao – has
an elected government to which the central government has devolved competencies.
• Provinces (Filipino: lalawigan or probinsya), independent cities (Filipino:
lungsod or siyudad), and one independent municipality (Pateros).
• Component cities (Filipino: lungsod or siyudad) and municipalities (Filipino:
bayan or munisipalidad) within a province.
• Barangays (formerly known, and sometimes still referred to as, barrios)
within a city or municipality.
Other divisions also exist for specific purposes:
• Geographic island groups in popular and widespread use;
• Local administrative districts in use by some local governments;
• Judicial regions for regional trial courts;
• Legislative districts for the election of legislators at national, regional, and
local levels;
• A special geographic area used for the organization of Bangsamoro barangays
in Cotabato; and
• Special-purpose districts for various government agencies.
These are divided into 17 regions, 81 provinces, 146 cities, 1,488 municipalities,
42,046 barangays.
Government
The new Philippine Constitution was ratified in early 1987, signaling the
country’s return to democracy.
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Executive Branch
Chief of state: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Vice President Leni
Robredo; note: the president is both the chief of the state and head of government.
Cabinet
The Cabinet secretaries are tasked to advise the President on the different
affairs of the state like agriculture, budget, finance, education, social welfare,
national defense, foreign policy, and the like. They are nominated by the President
and then presented to the Commission on Appointments, a body of the Congress of
the Philippines that confirms all appointments made by the head of state, for
confirmation or rejection. If the presidential appointees are approved, they are sworn
into office, receive the title "Secretary", and begin to function their duties.
Elections in the Philippines
The president, vice-president, and the senators are elected for a six-year term,
while the members of the House of Representatives, governors, vice-governors,
members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board members), mayors,
vice-mayors, members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod/members of the
Sangguniang Bayan (city/municipal councilors), barangay officials, and the
members of the Sangguniang Kabataan (youth councilors) are elected to serve for a
three-year term.
Congress has two chambers. The House of Representatives has 304 seats as of
2019, of which 80% are contested in single seat electoral districts and 20% are allotted
to party-lists according to a modified Hare quota with remainders disregarded and a
three-seat cap. These party list seats are only accessible to marginalized and under-
represented groups and parties, local parties, and sectoral wings of major parties
that represent the marginalized. The Constitution of the Philippines allows the
House of Representatives to have more than 250 members by statute without a need
for a constitutional amendment. The Senate has 24 members who are elected on a
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nationwide at-large basis; they do not represent any geographical district. Half of the
Senate is renewed every three years.
Judicial Branch
Supreme Court (justices are appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council and serve until 70 years of age).
Natural Resources
The Philippines is rich in natural
resources. It has fertile, arable lands,
diverse flora and fauna, extensive
coastlines, and rich mineral deposits.
About 30% of the land area of the
country was determined be geologically
prospective by the Philippine Mines and
Geo-Sciences Bureau. But Only 1.5% of
country's land area is covered with
mining permits. Despite the rich natural
resources of the Philippines, the
government is restricting its exploitation.
A logging ban is imposed on many areas
of the country and only in select areas
are "sustainable logging" allowed.
However illegal logging and small-scale illegal mining continues is many areas. In
July 2012, President Benigno Aquino III ordered a stop to all mining activities in all
(78 areas) protected and eco-tourism sites. A positive step in the right direction to
protect the natural resources of the Philippines.
The Philippines’ primary source of livelihood is its fertile land. Rich, wide
plains suitable for farming are found in the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, South
western Bicol, Panay, Negros, Davao, Cotabato, Agusan and Bukidnon. The country
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‘s six major crops are rice, corn, sugarcane, coconut, abaca and tobacco. Except for
rice and corn, all these products are exported, along with bananas and pineapples.
The Philippines also boasts of wide tracts of lush, green forests. In fact, almost
half of the country’s total land area is forested. Sixty percent of these forests are
found in Mindanao.
Except for petroleum and a number of metals, mineral resources abound in
Philippine soil. The country’s mineral deposits can be classified into metals and non-
metals. Our metal deposits are estimated at 21.5 billion metric tons, while non-metal
deposits are projected at 19.3 billion metric tons. Nickel ranks first in terms of
deposits and size, it is found in Surigao del Norte, Davao, Palawan, Romblon and
Samar. Iron is found in Ilocos Norte, Nueva Ecija, Camarines Norte and Cotabato.
While copper in Zambales, Batangas, Mindoro, Panay and Negros. Among non-
metal deposits, the most abundant are cement, lime, and marble. Other non-metals
include asbestos, clay, guano, asphalt, feldspar, sulfur, talc, silicon, phosphate, and
marble.
With its territorial waters measuring as much as 1.67 million square
kilometers and located in the worlds fishing center, the Philippines is definitely rich
in marine resources. Of the 2,400 fish species found in the country. 65 have good
commercial value. Other marine products include corals, pearls, crabs and seaweeds.
Some of the country’s best salt water fishing area’s are found in Sintangki Island in
Sulu Estancia in Bohol, Malampaya in Palawan, Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan, San
Miguel lake in Camarines Norte, Bantayan Channel in Cebu, and the seas of Quezon
and Sorsogon.
On the other hand, among our biggest fisher water fishing areas are Laguna
de Bay, Bombon Lake in Batangas, Bato Lake in Canmarines Sur, Naujan Lake in
Mindoro and Mainit lake in Agusan del Norte.
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Religion in the Philippines
Religion in the Philippines is marked by a majority of people being adherents
of the Christian faith. At least 92% of the population is Christian; about 81% belong
to the Catholic Church while about 11% belong to Protestantism, Orthodoxy,
Restorationist and Independent Catholicism and other denominations such as Iglesia
Filipina Independiente, Iglesia ni Cristo, Seventh-day Adventist Church, United
Church of Christ in the Philippines, Members Church of God International (MCGI)
and Evangelicals. Officially, the Philippines is a secular nation, with the Constitution
guaranteeing separation
of church and state, and
requiring the government
to respect all religious
beliefs equally.
According to
national religious surveys,
about 5.6% of the
population of the
Philippines is Muslim,
making Islam the second largest religion in the country. However, A 2012 estimate
by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) stated that there were
10.7 million Muslims, or approximately 11 percent of the total population. The
majority of Muslims live in parts of Mindanao, Palawan, and the Sulu Archipelago –
an area known as Bangsamoro or the Moro region. Some have migrated into urban
and rural areas in different parts of the country. Most Muslim Filipinos practice
Sunni Islam according to the Shafi'i school. There are some Ahmadiyya Muslims in
the country.
Indigenous Philippine folk religions (collectively referred to as Anitism or
Bathalism), the traditional religion of Filipinos which predates Philippine
Christianity and Islam, is practiced by an estimated 2% of the population, made up
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of many indigenous peoples, tribal groups, and people who have reverted into
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traditional religions from Catholic/Christian or Islamic religions. These religions are
often syncretized with Christianity and Islam. Buddhism is practiced by 2% of the
populations by the Japanese-Filipino community, and together with Taoism and
Chinese folk religion is also dominant in Chinese communities. There are also
smaller number of followers of Sikhism, Hinduism as well. More than 10% of the
population is non-religious, with the percentage of non-religious people overlapping
with various faiths, as the vast majority of the non-religious select a religion in the
Census for nominal purposes.
According to the 2010 census, Evangelicals comprised 2% of the population. It
is particularly strong among American and Korean communities, Northern Luzon
especially in Cordillera Administrative Region, Southern Mindanao and many other
tribal groups in the Philippines.[citation needed] Protestants both mainline and
evangelical have gained significant annual growth rate up to 10% since 1910 to 2015.
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