Sen. Erwin Tulfo renewed his call for reduced domestic airfares as the Senate examined the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Tourism.
Tulfo said domestic flight prices continue to discourage local travel, noting that one-way tickets to destinations such as Batanes and Tawi-Tawi often cost more than round-trip fares to nearby countries like Hong Kong or Taiwan.
He said this pricing gap contributes to the Philippines’ weak performance in attracting visitors compared to other Southeast Asian countries.
Citing data from seasia.stats covering January to August 2025, Tulfo said Malaysia recorded 28.24 million international tourist arrivals, followed by Thailand with 21.88 million, Vietnam with 12.9 million, Singapore with 11.6 million, Indonesia with 10.04 million, and the Philippines with 3.96 million.
He said the country’s beaches and landscapes in areas such as Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Batanes offer strong tourism potential but remain difficult for travelers to access because of high airfare costs.
Sen. Loren Legarda, sponsor of the DOT budget, said the department is coordinating with the Department of Transportation, the Civil Aeronautics Board, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Philippine Competition Commission to review factors affecting airfare pricing.
She said the DOT is also completing a code of conduct for online travel agencies to improve transparency and comply with the Internet Transactions Act.
