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Foreign tourists checking their travel documents upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.
Rudy Santos
MANILA, Philippines — Leaders of the country’s tourism industry have raised alarm over a recent international online survey that named the Philippines the “least safe” country for tourists.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco led the pushback, denouncing the HelloSafe Safety Index 2025 report as “built on questionable data, lacking in transparency, and entirely disconnected from realities on the ground.”
Arthur Lopez, president of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association, warned that such unverified rankings could undo years of hard work in rebuilding tourism post-pandemic. “The HelloSafe report is misleading, unfair and detrimental to the efforts of the tourism and hospitality industry.”
Maria Paz Alberto, president of the Philippine IATA Agents Travel Association and Philippine chapter chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, said misleading narratives such as the HelloSafe index can “deter prospective visitors and cause lasting repercussions to businesses reliant on inbound tourism.”
Philippine Tour Operators Association president Arjun Shroff added that responsible messaging is critical, false narratives are corrected swiftly, and is vital that the government officials project confidence in local tourism capabilities.
The tourism industry leaders decried a recent statement by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who said tourists are avoiding the Philippines because they “don’t feel safe.” The stakeholders described the remark as not only ill-advised but also damaging to the country’s global reputation as a travel destination.
In his keynote address at the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association’s Sales and Marketing Summit, Remulla, citing the HelloSafe survey, said: “People do not want to come to the country because they don’t feel safe. They are afraid. There is cynicism in all the bad news that goes on here, and in the political atmosphere, and killing seems an ordinary activity. People become afraid.”
