MANILA – Airbnb, the online community that allows landlords and property developers to rent out their homes via the Internet, has new data showing the continued boom in domestic tourism in the Philippines.
Filipinos using Airbnb voted with “their fingers”, with Baguio, Quezon City and Tagaytay City being the most searched destinations by Filipinos on Airbnb in the second quarter of 2022.
Baguio, known as the summer capital of the Philippines thanks to its cold climate, was again the top destination.
The largest increase in guest searches from pre-pandemic levels belonged to Tagaytay, followed by Dumaguete and Calaca.
Meanwhile, Filipinos continued to frequent long-term stays of 28 days or more, Airbnb’s fastest-growing category in terms of travel duration.
This is up 25% year over year and 90% from pre-pandemic levels.
Other top destinations include Guagua in Pampanga, Unisan in Quezon and Jala-jala in Rizal.
“We are seeing fundamental changes in travel that are creating new opportunities for the tourism sector. It’s incredibly exciting to see Filipinos traveling longer and to more diverse destinations, which bodes well for the industry’s ongoing recovery,” said Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb’s General Manager for South Asia. Southeast, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Andrew Staples, Economist Impact’s regional policy and knowledge manager for Asia-Pacific, said that since the pandemic, Filipino travelers are thinking more about their impact on local communities, economies and the environment.
“This awakening kind of accelerated the push toward a more responsible form of travel,” Staples said.
Steve Dailisan, Head of Communications and Public Affairs of AirAsia Philippines, also says he is excited about how Filipinos have started to diversify their tourist destinations.
“As the travel rebound accelerates, we are expanding our domestic reach and launching new routes to more local destinations,” Dailisan said.
Overall, Airbnb notes that key drivers of tourism in the Philippines now include remote work opportunities in new destinations and sustainable tourism in addition to recreation.
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