Tourism industry leaders decry DILG chief’s ‘unsafe’ PH remark

Inquirer file photos

MANILA, Philippines—Leaders of the Philippine tourism industry have raised alarm over Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s claim that tourists are avoiding the Philippines because they “don’t feel safe,” calling it a damaging remark that reinforces already-debunked narratives and threatens the gains of the tourism sector.

Remulla made the controversial remark during a keynote address at the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) Summit on June 19. Speaking before hotel professionals and tourism executives, he said:

“I truly believe that we have a beautiful country, and we have the best people in hospitality all over the world. But why are [foreign tourists] not coming here? I have to admit it is our fault. It is the government’s fault. It is the Interior Secretary’s fault.”

“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, so people become afraid,” he added.

‘Misleading, unfair, and damaging’

Arthur Lopez, president of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA), called out the growing international perception of the Philippines as an unsafe destination. He described the HelloSafe ranking as “misleading, unfair, and detrimental to the country’s tourism recovery,” warning that it could undo years of hard work in rebuilding the sector after the pandemic.

Lopez was referring to the HelloSafe Travel Safety Index, a comparative ranking published by a financial products comparison platform. In its latest index, HelloSafe gave the Philippines a score of 82.32 out of 100, placing it at the top of its list of least safe countries in the world.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco later noted that the listing has since been altered to remove the Philippines’ false designation and replace it with another country. However, she emphasized that “the correction is not complete, and damage to the country’s reputation and to the lives of our people has already been done.”

Tourism leaders said Remulla’s remarks appeared to validate the flawed ranking and could cause further reputational harm.

Maria Paz Alberto, president of the Philippine IATA Agents Travel Association (PIATA) and chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Philippine Chapter, warned that 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 (PHILTOA) president Arjun Shroff said public messaging from government officials must reflect confidence and consistency. He added that projecting confidence in the country’s tourism capabilities is crucial, and stressed the importance of swiftly correcting false narratives to protect the industry’s credibility.

One tourism executive, who declined to be named, said Remulla’s remarks felt like a betrayal, echoing the same flawed perception the industry had worked hard to correct.

“It’s already challenging to correct global misconceptions,” the executive said. “But when a Cabinet official echoes those misconceptions, the damage doubles.”

Lopez, meanwhile, stressed that the industry leaders fully support Secretary Frasco’s call to set the record straight.

DOT hits back: ‘This cannot go unanswered’

In a statement, Frasco denounced the HelloSafe index as not only flawed but harmful.

“The publication by HelloSafe of a FALSE ranking that labeled the Philippines as the ‘least safe country’ for travelers has caused serious and lasting harm,” she said. “This cannot go unanswered.”

She said the index was “built on questionable data, lacking in transparency, and entirely disconnected from realities on the ground,” and pointed out that it lacked full methodology disclosure and appeared to reuse identical scores across countries.

“Safety indexes, when tied to sales and commercial interests, can unfairly distort national reputations, and warrant closer scrutiny,” she added.

Frasco underscored that the Department of Tourism (DOT) does not deny the country’s challenges, but emphasized that “extensive work is being done daily to address those challenges,” including trained police presence in key destinations, inter-agency coordination, and strong local government support.

“The impact of this false narrative is not abstract. It disrupted bookings and businesses. It cast doubt on our destinations. Worse, it harmed the livelihoods of millions of Filipinos who depend on tourism,” she said.

The DOT has since demanded that HelloSafe correct all remaining references to the erroneous data across its platforms and called on media outlets that cited the report to issue corrections.

READ: DOT hits website for mistakenly tagging PH as ‘least safe country’

Many in the sector had hoped for a unified message from government leaders to strengthen public trust and reinforce ongoing safety reforms. But instead of support, they now find themselves having to clarify and contain the fallout from statements made within the administration itself.

Still, for many in the industry, the damage has already been done—not by foreign publications, but by one of the country’s own officials.

As one veteran in the industry put it:

“The Philippines didn’t lose that round because of a bad survey—it lost because one of its own top officials agreed with it.”