Sometimes, all it takes is one honest post to start a bigger conversation.
Bianca Gonzalez did just that—taking to social media to voice her frustration over how expensive domestic travel in the Philippines has become compared to flying abroad.
On X, the Pinoy Big Brother host reacted to a post by lawyer and former COMELEC commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, who questioned the rising costs of local tourism.
“How can you convince Filipinos to travel around the country,” Larrazabal asked, “when it’s cheaper to fly to Hong Kong, Singapore, or other ASEAN destinations than it is to visit some tourist spots in the Philippines?”
Bianca agreed—wholeheartedly.
“We booked a trip to Siargao,” she shared, “and it turned out to be more expensive than traveling to Hong Kong, Bangkok, or even Vietnam.”
Then came the line many Filipinos felt deeply.
“Mas mahirap suportahan ang lokal na turismo dahil ang mahal.”
And just like that, the conversation took off.
Netizens flooded the replies—some nodding in agreement, others pushing back.
One user shared their own experience in Sagada. Three days, they said, cost them ₱11,000—and that didn’t even include accommodation or airfare.
Another compared the cost to Thailand, saying they spent only ₱5,000 on food for three days during their trip there.
But not everyone agreed.
One netizen argued that only a few destinations—like Siargao and Boracay—are truly expensive, urging people not to generalize and to look beyond the usual tourist hotspots.
A quick look at airfare prices shows why the debate continues.
Flights from Manila in February range from ₱6,000 to ₱9,000 for Siargao and ₱4,000 to ₱7,000 for Boracay.
Meanwhile, international round-trip flights cost around ₱7,000 to ₱11,000 to Hong Kong, ₱10,000 to ₱15,000 to Bangkok, and ₱14,000 to ₱20,000 to Hanoi.
For many Filipinos, the question remains painfully simple.
Support local—
or travel farther for less?
And in today’s economy, that choice feels harder than ever.
