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The Philippines vs. Thailand

Many a heated argument flourishes among viewers of my YouTube channel, on the comparison of the Philippines vs Thailand with many statements, few facts, and in my opinion, it’s a bloody waste of time.

People always compare the Philippines vs Thailand. Honestly, these countries are so politically, geographically, historically, culturally, and religiously different. It is somewhat akin to comparing boats and fish just because they inhabit the same ocean.

Is it because they both have a flourishing tourist trade? Although they both share political instability, face natural disasters, and suffer from terrorist insurgencies they have little else in common.

Politics

Politically speaking, Thailand has a government that controls the media and suppresses reports about these problems. With a history of censorship that ranks them 130 out of 180 countries, they have a long history of censorship of the press.

Terrorism

Terrorism is always a hot topic when it comes to conversations about travel in the Philippines but few realize that Thailand has this identical problem. You can read about terrorism in Thailand here.

Philippines vs. Thailand

Conversely, the Philippine press exposes terrorist acts in all their gory glory and in minute detail making it seem as if the country is in imminent peril of being overrun by terrorist factions. The truth is that the terrorists in Thailand have a very good foothold in the South and are constantly inching further north. It is one landmass, one language and it is easy to see it eventually creeping over the entire landmass of this beautiful country.

Terrorism, however, faces a unique problem in the Philippines vs Thailand with over 7000 islands and 9 major languages, the insurgents have trouble expanding from their southern bases of operation because of logistical and cultural differences beyond their traditional strongholds and this keeps it fairly well contained to the southernmost islands.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Transportation and infrastructure are where Thailand takes the Philippines hands down in comparison. Again, being one landmass, it is easy to connect the dots to integrate and expand these systems. The Philippines conversely must create a separate infrastructure on each island.

Electrical creation and distribution systems must be built and fed, transportation hubs created and serviced by a vast network of inter-island ferries then maintained. Internet and phone services must rely solely on transmission towers, no hard wires here. All this in the face of multiple typhoons spawned the vast Pacific Ocean, which inevitably slams into the Philippines first, before trailing off to mainland Asia.

Tourism

Adventure and diversity is definitely a Philippine strong point. These thousands of islands provide a myriad of possibilities for those who want to “step off the beaten path” so to speak. With only 20% of the tourist masses that visit Thailand every year, 4 million versus 20 million, the Philippines does offer experiences that you alone can enjoy without a crowd or audience. See the video at the bottom of this post.

Beach Wedding Venue in the Philippines

So, Don’t compare these two beautiful Asian flowers. Embrace and rejoice in their differences. I recommend you visit both and enjoy all of the wonderful experiences both have to offer.

Ah... Thailand

What an amazing country. With a rich history, abundant culture, and tons of great places to party, it probably sounds like one of the best places to go in the world for a holiday. It’s one of the most popular spots on the South East Asia backpacking trail and there’s no doubt that you’ll have a great time in Thailand.

But despite how amazing Thailand can be, we think that the Philippines is better. However, since we run a few cool resorts, our opinion may be a tad biased ????

Things to do Near Manila

Let’s get into it –

3 Reasons Why the Philippines is Better that Thailand

  1. Fewer Tourists. Thailand is a popular spot and with good reason. There are loads of great tourist activities and rich Asian culture to explore. Buddhism is the main religion and you could spend months just visiting different Buddhist temples. In fact, you can even spend a few weeks at a temple, learning to be a monk (how’s that for a retreat?). But this comes at a price. Being popular, tourists are EVERYWHERE. You’ll find it impossible to find a beach that isn’t packed with young, excited backpackers from all over the globe. In the Philippines, you’re off the backpacker trail so you won’t be surrounded by tourists in most places.
  2. More Adventure. Thailand offers a number of adventurous activities. The only problem is that when everyone is doing it, it doesn’t feel that adventurous. If you’re surrounded by tourists, it’s just going to feel like you’re at home. In the Philippines, adventure is hiding around every corner. From catching public transport to navigating the rambling alleyways of the provincial towns, you’re guaranteed to satiate your thirst for adventure in the Philippines.
  3. More Tropical. If you want to experience a tropical island getaway, Thailand probably isn’t the place. There are too many other people doing the same thing for it to feel like a getaway. If you want a tropical island getaway, come to the Philippines. With 7,107 islands, you’ll find a number of great spots. In Palawan, one of the isolated island chains in the Philippines, you’ll feel like you’ve discovered a hidden paradise that no one knows about.

Tropical Paradise Top 5

As always I say the Philippines is amazing and my favorite of the two. I’m not alone either.

A few years ago we ran a survey with some of our previous customers. After visiting the Philippines, we asked them where they thought the best “tropical paradise” in the world was.

As we expected, most of them said the Philippines!

To celebrate, we made a snazzy image of the results below. If you want to display it on your blog, feel free to grab the code for it here.

Come stay at BADLADZ and we’ll give you a few more reasons why it’s more fun in the Philippines. Our Mexican food will melt your taste buds and once you experience what it’s like to spend every day by the beach, sitting by a few coconut trees, you’ll never want to leave.

What are your thoughts about the Philippines vs Thailand? Shoot me a message about what you think.

Cheers!
Sean

Editors Note: This blog post was originally published on January 09, 2013, and has been updated with revised and additional content.

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