r/PhilippinesTourism

Excerpt: The Philippine economy grew at its slowest pace in five years, expanding just 2.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026, as the country grapples with the persistent government spending slump and mounting inflation shocks.

The country’s economy, as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP), decelerated from the 3.0 percent expansion recorded in the final three months of 2025.

It also significantly missed the 3.4 percent median growth projected by economists in a survey, and marked the weakest quarterly output for the country since the first quarter of 2021, when the economy contracted 3.8 percent during pandemic-era lockdowns.

Never been to Ph before. I'm planning to use Manila as a base. Are there expat type residencies that I can rent for one month? For example, a few months ago I rented an apartment in Chiang Mai where mostly expats lived. It cost me $230 for the month that I stayed.

Is there anything similar in Makati or Quezon for example?

The Philippines has been a poor performer on international tourism even among Southeast Asian countries. Over 480,000 Filipinos visited Vietnam last year while our country did not attract too many Vietnamese tourists.

Do you think this new agreement will help our country attract more tourists and investors from Vietnam?

places that haven’t blown up on social media yet (beach/mountain/town)