大咖福利影院

I think this is spot on:

鈥淚ncreasing foreign tourism would require a bigger capacity to scale up, such as further development and expansion of airports, seaports, accommodation facilities, mass transport, toll roads, and other infrastructure that would also make it more convenient for foreign tourists to visit the country.鈥�

The infrastructure here is typically of low quality, getting to and from tourist destinations is complicated and/or uncomfortable. For example, the access to Boracay as a major tourist destination is a disgrace. Palawan鈥檚 airport is primitive and closes at the drop of a hat which then requires a 5-hour van drive to Puerta Princessa, which means a lot of tourists never go back.

I love the Philippines and live here most of the year but for tourism it does not compete with the likes of Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Apples and oranges, many souls are not interested in third world countries or developing nations and a simple choice, each to their own. What is interesting is I've read that the Philippines made #1 this year for the top retirement destination in the world, been nocking around here 15 years and living here for 7 of those years and sure a few grumbles but on the whole a very happy camper, my home now is the Philippines.

Cheers Steve.

@Brojeslov

鈥淚ncreasing foreign tourism would require a bigger capacity to scale up, such as further development and expansion of airports, seaports, accommodation facilities, mass transport, toll roads, and other infrastructure that would also make it more convenient for foreign tourists to visit the country.

And we all know that the Philippines has 'form' when it comes to grand infrastructure projects.

There is the new Manila international airport under construction about 35 miles north in Bulacan province due to open in 2028. I recall the farrago with Terminal 3 at Ninoy Aquino that was 95% fully completed in the mid noughties but did not open until 2014 because of a mix of govt and contractor incompetence. Guess what - the new airport is being constructed on reclaimed land from the sea which sits on soft alluvial and coastal soils so settlement is inevitable. The lead contractor for the project is San Miguel Corporation. 2028 will be a 'soft' opening with just one runway with 3 more to follow assuming the govt does not run out of money.

This is potentially good news for expats /visitors in Luzon who are based north of the capital. Hang on I thought there was already an international airport at Clark? 馃��

Then there is the question of getting from the new airport into downtown Manila. There are partial highway improvements under way but its going to be a 2 hour drive at best. I've said it before on this site but NAIA is for me the quickest airport in Asia ( with the possible exception of Changi in Singapore) to get from aircraft door to downtown hotel. Moreover T3 is great for stopovers given the access to aiport hotels via 'Runway Manila' My neighbour who landed yesterday confirmed this and could not believe the convenience. He stayed at the Belmont (recommended by me) hotel and took the Cebu Pacific flight to Dumaguete the next day.

The US market is an easy 'catch' for the Philippines due to legacy colonial/military ties and of course the English language. The strength of the greenback helps but that applies right across Asia to varying degrees. It really needs to up its game for the non US tourist market to have any significant affect on tourist numbers.

Good luck with that.

@Brojeslov
鈥淚ncreasing foreign tourism would require a bigger capacity to scale up, such as further development and expansion of airports, seaports, accommodation facilities, mass transport, toll roads, and other infrastructure that would also make it more convenient for foreign tourists to visit the country.
And we all know that the Philippines has 'form' when it comes to grand infrastructure projects.

There is the new Manila international airport under construction about 35 miles north in Bulacan province due to open in 2028. I recall the farrago with Terminal 3 at Ninoy Aquino that was 95% fully completed in the mid noughties but did not open until 2014 because of a mix of govt and contractor incompetence. Guess what - the new airport is being constructed on reclaimed land from the sea which sits on soft alluvial and coastal soils so settlement is inevitable. The lead contractor for the project is San Miguel Corporation. 2028 will be a 'soft' opening with just one runway with 3 more to follow assuming the govt does not run out of money.

This is potentially good news for expats /visitors in Luzon who are based north of the capital. Hang on I thought there was already an international airport at Clark? 馃��

Then there is the question of getting from the new airport into downtown Manila. There are partial highway improvements under way but its going to be a 2 hour drive at best. I've said it before on this site but NAIA is for me the quickest airport in Asia ( with the possible exception of Changi in Singapore) to get from aircraft door to downtown hotel. Moreover T3 is great for stopovers given the access to aiport hotels via 'Runway Manila' My neighbour who landed yesterday confirmed this and could not believe the convenience. He stayed at the Belmont (recommended by me) hotel and took the Cebu Pacific flight to Dumaguete the next day.

The US market is an easy 'catch' for the Philippines due to legacy colonial/military ties and of course the English language. The strength of the greenback helps but that applies right across Asia to varying degrees. It really needs to up its game for the non US tourist market to have any significant affect on tourist numbers.

Good luck with that. - @Lotus Eater

The journey from the new airport into Manila is like you say going to be a nightmare. On one of my visits to the Philippines I made the journey from the current airport to a town called Pandi in Bulacan by taxi and returned on the coach which dropped us off in Quezon City and we then had to get a Grab ride back to Makati from there. Getting out of Manila on the toll road was not easy and聽 not a pleasant journey at all by coach from Bulacan on the way back and anybody using a taxi from the New Manila Airport to get in Central Manila will probably be fleeced even more by some of the more unscrupulous drivers.

I bet the taxi drivers are already counting the extra pesos they will mark UP the fares by and rubbing their hands together in glee. Some of us will be fleeced of even more money but there again I guess a lot less tourists will bother with going into the the city and just stay overnight in Bulacan before getting their connecting flights. Good for Bulacan but not so good for the economy in Makati, Manila, Pasay, etc. Hotels there will not be full.

The hookers on P Burgos Street may need to think about moving location also and I wonder if that will mean more girlie bars in Bulacan.

Golly Bulacan is not that far from Clark international airport that has operated for years, a very nice int airport and less than 2 hours to Manila central depending on the time of day, Only 3 and a half hours for an international flight instead of 6 hours to Manila for us, Clark has excellent long term parking and inexpensive. While I've not heard if this new international airport, in Bulacan seems pointless given the聽 proximity and services already offered,,,,,,,, killing the pockets of many instead of investing in needed infrastructure like water and sewerage for those that need it. While we don't fly often these days for years the prices to depart from Clark used to be well more expensive than NAIA, parking is astronomical in Manila aside from the crap to get there.

Clark no O/N hotel if you book the right flights saving more pesos. San Fernando City here has an airport but they stopped internal Philippines flights more than 20 years ago for lack of customers sadly. If you fly lots pick well where you live.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

As I understand it, the owner of the new airport has also bought Clark and the plan is for NAIA to close, Clark to return to cargo only and all passenger flights to be served from Bulacan. How long it will take to achieve that I don't know. As highlighted above, access to the new airport will be a key issue and much more than upgrading a few roads will be required. Hopefully San Miguel Corporation's deep pockets will extend to a fast rail, at least to Manila's southern areas that will have the biggest traffic challenges

@Brojeslov

I should have said wants to buy Clark

@Brojeslov

As I understand it, the owner of the new airport has also bought Clark and the plan is for NAIA to close, Clark to return to cargo only and all passenger flights to be served from Bulacan.

This is incorrect on all counts. The Philippine government sees Clark as a key part of a multi airport system for the island of Luzon alongside NAIA and the new site in Bulacan. Indeed there are plans to build a 2nd runway at Clark.

There has been no joined up thinking which is anathema to any Philippine govt. Its a recipe for logistical & passenger confusion. Incremental changes without any blue sky planning.

The one thing airlines abhor is fractured connectivity which the new airport will create. The plan is to keep inter-continental and regional international flights at NAIA initially with some domestic routes moving to the new airport. Currently we have T3 at NAIA which connects international (with the exception of Philippine Airlines) flights with Cebu Pacific domestic flights all under one roof.

Given that there is no dedicated high speed (or any speed) railway planned at present it will be dependant on govt funding. The entire project is disjointed at best and cack handed at worst. International passengers flying into NAIA with domestic connections will have to transfer to the new Bulacan airport which with Manila traffic and congestion is 2 hours away. NAIA is south west of, not north Manila 馃檮

It brings to mind a couple of comparable airport projects that should have been a lesson to the Philippine govt. Notably the Malaysian decision to relocate the local airport in Kuala Lumpur about 35 miles south (same distance as Bulacan) but with a high speed rail service rather than putting the cart before the proverbial horse. The national carrier Malaysian Airlines (MAS) has its base there for international and regional schedules. I actually flew to Phnom Penh in Cambodia with Air Asia via KLIA as there were no (big surprise) direct flights from the Philippines.

Our Canadian friend (Aidan) a welcome contributor to this site may recall the white elephant of Mirabel airport that was built in the mid 70鈥檚 to serve Montr茅al - specifically international flights. The original downtown airport in the city (Dorval - since renamed Trudeau International) was retained to service the domestic and regional market. Guess what Expat readers? Yes you guessed right; Mirabel was also located 35 miles north of Montr茅al but without a high speed rail connection.

It was never popular with the business community ( I had occasional business visits to the city in the 90鈥檚) and this was at a sensitive time in Canadian politics with many businesses relocating to Toronto because of the more business friendly climate. Of course Manila has no obvious competitor so nothing to worry about - right? Wrong! International companies looking to invest will have just found another reason(not that they needed one) not to have a base in the Philippines.

Mirabel was closed to passenger airlines in 2004 and is now used as a cargo base. The passenger terminal has been abolished and Trudeau International now serves the international market as well. Oh like NAIA its about 10 miles from downtown..

My guess for what its worth is that in ten years time international carriers will still be based at NAIA. Anyone care for a bet?聽

Dear Google Gemini AI "Please comment on the topic, and bet for our expat group .."

Forum Quote: "As I understand it, the owner of the new airport has also bought Clark and the plan is for NAIA to close, Clark to return to cargo only and all passenger flights to be served from Bulacan."

This is incorrect on all counts. The Philippine government sees Clark as a key part of a multi airport system for the island of Luzon alongside NAIA and the new site in Bulacan. Indeed there are plans to build a 2nd runway at Clark.

There has been no joined up thinking which is anathema to any Philippine govt. Its a recipe for logistical & passenger confusion. Incremental changes without any blue sky planning.

The one thing airlines abhor is fractured connectivity which the new airport will create. The plan is to keep inter-continental and regional international flights at NAIA initially with some domestic routes moving to the new airport. Currently we have T3 at NAIA which connects international (with the exception of Philippine Airlines) flights with Cebu Pacific domestic flights all under one roof.

Given that there is no dedicated high speed (or any speed) railway planned at present it will be dependant on govt funding. The entire project is disjointed at best and cack handed at worst. International passengers flying into NAIA with domestic connections will have to transfer to the new Bulacan airport which with Manila traffic and congestion is 2 hours away. NAIA is south west of, not north Manila 馃檮

It brings to mind a couple of comparable airport projects that should have been a lesson to the Philippine govt. Notably the Malaysian decision to relocate the local airport in Kuala Lumpur about 35 miles south (same distance as Bulacan) but with a high speed rail service rather than putting the cart before the proverbial horse. The national carrier Malaysian Airlines (MAS) has its base there for international and regional schedules. I actually flew to Phnom Penh in Cambodia with Air Asia via KLIA as there were no (big surprise) direct flights from the Philippines.

Our Canadian friend (Aidan) a welcome contributor to this site may recall the white elephant of Mirabel airport that was built in the mid 70鈥檚 to serve Montr茅al - specifically international flights. The original downtown airport in the city (Dorval - since renamed Trudeau International) was retained to service the domestic and regional market. Guess what Expat readers? Yes you guessed right; Mirabel was also located 35 miles north of Montr茅al but without a high speed rail connection.

It was never popular with the business community ( I had occasional business visits to the city in the 90鈥檚) and this was at a sensitive time in Canadian politics with many businesses relocating to Toronto because of the more business friendly climate. Of course Manila has no obvious competitor so nothing to worry about - right? Wrong! International companies looking to invest will have just found another reason(not that they needed one) not to have a base in the Philippines.

Mirabel was closed to passenger airlines in 2004 and is now used as a cargo base. The passenger terminal has been abolished and Trudeau International now serves the international market as well. Oh like NAIA its about 10 miles from downtown..

My guess for what its worth is that in ten years time international carriers will still be based at NAIA. Anyone care for a bet?聽

Google Gemini responds ..You would absolutely win that bet. Your assessment of the "multi-airport system" and the real-world operational challenges is incredibly accurate, especially when looking at the historical precedents of Mirabel and KLIA.

There is an even bigger, ironic twist to this entire saga that further guarantees you will win your 10-year bet: San Miguel Corporation (SMC) now runs NAIA too.

The Irony of the Monopoly

In late 2024, an SMC-led consortium (New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation) won a 15-to-25-year concession to operate, rehabilitate, and commercialise NAIA. Far from wanting to close it down, SMC is pouring 鈧�170.6 billion into upgrading NAIA, reorganising its terminals, and increasing its passenger capacity.

Because the exact same company owns both the upcoming Bulacan mega-airport and the rights to NAIA鈥檚 revenues, they have zero financial incentive to kill off NAIA. Instead, they will likely manipulate the markets to protect their dual investments.

Why You'll Win the Bet

NAIA is Too Lucrative to Abandon: Under SMC, NAIA is being streamlined rather than phased out. They are actively moving non-PAL international carriers to Terminal 3 and reshuffling domestic hubs to maximise its real estate. Airlines will not leave a rehabilitated, profitable NAIA that sits 10 kilometres from the central business districts.

Wikipedia

+1

The Mirabel Curse is Real: Just like Montreal's Mirabel or even London's Tokyo/Narita hurdles in their early decades, fractured connectivity destroys transit hubs. If a premium passenger arrives from London on PAL or Emirates and has to cross the heavily congested gridlock of Manila for two hours to catch a domestic flight to Boracay out of Bulacan, they simply won't book it. They will transit through Singapore or Hong Kong instead.

Clark is Growing, Not Shrinking: Your point about Clark is spot on. The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is moving forward with a second runway project for Clark (targeted for late 2029), and major aerospace firms like Lufthansa Technik are expanding their infrastructure hubs there. Clark is structurally tied to the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project, giving it actual mass-transit integration that Bulacan currently lacks.

The "Cart Before the Horse" Rail Problem: While the government talks about connecting Bulacan via future rail and expressways, the physical execution of high-speed rail in the Philippines historically takes decades due to right-of-way lawsuits and bureaucratic delays. Without a dedicated rail link at opening, legacy international carriers will flatly refuse to abandon NAIA.

Ten years from now, NAIA will still be the premium, preferred gateway into Manila, Bulacan will likely face a slow, painful ramp-up heavily reliant on budget carriers, and Clark will continue serving the massive growth engine of Central Luzon.

Would you like to look into SMC's latest airline terminal reassignments at NAIA, or check the current construction timeline for the Bulacan airport?

AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses

--

perhaps helpful,

happy trails

A good read P1.

Growth corridors happen in all countries, for most of us Manila is/can be a frustrating experience unless you intend to do business there and personally we avoid like the plague. We are up in La Union so Clark is 2 hours closer, have great long term parking and a decent airport to commute to and from. We now try to fly out of there as the prices have come down compered to 10/15 years ago.

We are experiencing unbelievable growth in developments and the proverbial price hikes, we purchased our home 9/10 years ago and have lived here for over 7 of those years and witnessed larger malls and resorts popping up over the years and the property prices tripling and quadrupling but our beach stays relatively quiet.

We have the airport in San Fernando City but hasn't operated domestic flights for 20 or 30 years as there wasn't enough punters but these days with the growth who knows what will happen.

Fast rail links make a huge difference and like you or AI suggest should be incorporated in the planning聽 stage for efficiency.

Sadly being 4 hours from Clark we will survive the drive especially when they finish the freeway extensions to San Juan from Rosario. In the mean time we don't travel internationally too often and kick back and enjoy our bit of paradise.

I could also suggest why duplicate infrastructure,,,,,,, who is getting the Pesos for this stupidity?

Cheers, Steve.

@bigpearl

I could also suggest why duplicate infrastructure,,,,,,, who is getting the Pesos for this stupidity?

A salient point Steve which had not escaped me.聽 Did not wish to upset the Forum Polizia.聽 Suffice to say that the father of President Marcos had close ties with the San Miguel Corporation.. 馃槑