MANILA — Filipino travelers are more willing to stay longer in tourist destinations to immerse in new cultures and see more sights in underrated locations, a tourist expert said on Wednesday, noting that this shift in traveling behavior is observed across the globe.

 “Slow travel” and “barefoot luxury” — or enjoying upscale services at affordable rates — is fast-rising among Filipino tourists, said Chal Lontoc-Del Rosario, public relations officer of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association.

 “Before kung ang nilalabas naming mga packages ay laging three days-two nights, a lot of people have taken that out,” Lontoc-Del Rosario told ABS-CBN News.

 “Now, gusto na nilang sulitin na with one airfare, and go to one main city and then travel via land or take a domestic flight from that country… so it make things easier, faster and cheaper,” she said.

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 This change in travel preference among Filipinos has prompted several travel agencies to offer longer tour packages, said Lontoc-Del Rosario, who operates her own travel company.

“The first two days is to be able to see everything, lahat ng mga sights na gusto makita, matikman, and then an extra day to take it slow, to be able to experience things in that city, in that country in your own terms,” she said.

“I guess that’s because a lot of Filipinos have already been traveling throughout the years, especially after the pandemic,” she said.

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Gen Z travelers — those born between 1997 and 2003 — are more “sporadic” in planning their trips while millennial tourists are choosing more “organized” options, the PTAA official said.

“Affordable pero luxurious pa rin yung feel so it’s finding a middle ground to hindi naman ganoon kamahal pero hindi naman backpacking,” she said.

But what’s common among Filipino travelers is they are now looking for newer destinations instead of just visiting capital cities and conventional tourist spots, Lontoc-Del Rosario said. 

“Filipinos are actually going to places that are less crowded. That’s happening,” she said. 

“It’s being able to show something new to their audience [on social media]… going to places na less traveled,” she continued. “Natututo na din po ang mga Pilipino na mag-cruise. Whether cruising in Asia or long haul, that’s also in.”

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While Japan remains a favorite international destination for Filipino travelers, Vietnam is also becoming popular, said Bryan Sansolis, Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) Head for Philippine Sales.

“Japan, because a lot of people were given multiple entries so its easier for them to come back,” he said.

“We also see big growth for countries like Vietnam,” he said.

PAL also sees “growth in the domestic sector” with Bohol being among the top choices of Filipinos vacationers, Sansolis said.

There are also hidden gems in Mindanao that have the potential to become an emerging destination, PTAA president Evangeline Tankiang-Manotok said.

“Have you been to Tawi-Tawi? Lobster is even cheaper than galunggong there, and lanzones is only P10,” she said.

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The PTAA has invited tourism boards from several destinations like Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea to its Travel Tour Expo 2025 on February 7-9 so that they can discuss newer destinations and activities with Filipino globetrotters, she said.

 The PTAA Travel Tour Expo 2025 — dubbed the biggest tourist expo in the Philippines — will convene 321 exhibitors to offer flights, hotels, tour packages and even travel essentials and accessories at discounted rates to help boost the tourism sector.

In 2024, the Philippines fell short of hitting its target 7.7 million tourist arrivals, after it recorded only 5.64 million tourist arrivals between January and December 2024.

Despite this, the Department of Tourism said it recorded an all-time high in international tourist revenues in 2024 with P760 billion, which is 9-percent higher than its tourism receipts from 2023.