Old Manila used to be the heart of the Philippine civilization. People from pilgrims to economic seekers both from the provinces and abroad would try to ease themselves to be part of the society in this capital city.

Whether you believe it or not, the coastal part of Manila holds the record to the most dense tourist attractions in a given territory. Just put a marker in any part of the old Manila, chances are there would be four or five tourist attractions of high quality that one can visit. You want ancestral houses or old churches? Or even American style architecture? Or even greeneries as gardens and open spaces? Only this part of Manila can offer you that.

It was so obvious that when somebody asked, what can a Filipino be proud of to showcase an attraction in Metro Manila to foreigners, the answer would be Intramuros and Rizal Park. And that answer never changed from the ‘60s,’70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s….. you get the point. A tentative answer came up in the 2010s that include the Mall of Asia, and in the 2020s, the Bonifacio Global City. And that’s it!

Then you ask, if old Manila has such a treasure of high quality tourist attractions, why do people, including some Pinoys who spread the word, avoid Manila like a plague-ridden place?

There could be many answers to this: As a default national capital and tourist gateway, maybe the tourism industry players do not see a need to develop tourism programs for this place, maybe the local politicians in the past (how about present? don’t know) never prioritized tourism as they are busy taking care of other things, maybe the traffic and other challenges are just too much to deal with. Maybe this part of the metropolis is just too old and tired to be considered a tourist destination. Maybe…. so many maybes.

But if you look at the shaded map, you will realize that there is indeed a gigantic situation where tourism can indeed experience a renaissance and become a huge player in the tourism and socio economic situation of the country.

The Old Manila

First things first - the Branding. Maybe age made the stakeholders forgetful about the possible branding for this part of the country. I would recommend using the term, Old Manila. For starters, it is really the old part of the written history of the country. You have the facilities, the infrastructure, and maybe even the culture. Second, the romance of something old and well-preserved are still there. And it can easily translate to tourism value. You just need to dig the right stories and develop story tellers.

Third, it is darn so practical to link the attractions and develop circuits and thematic movements for the tourists on both packaged and DIY tours. A clear example of this is the Metropolitan Theater - that as long as it is treated as a stand alone point of interest, it will have a hard time surviving no matter how many times it is renovated.

What are the limitations?

Obviously, its the lack of appreciation of the tourism industry and the interest of decision makers and administrators. That’s a given. Any potential tourist attraction needs a leader with a foresight to turn their place into something highly dynamic and progressive. Just look at….. Dubai (to make it really clear).

Walking is hardly practiced by Pinoys. Two kilometers of walking is a very common thing in many urban destinations. But for the Pinoys, the distance could only mean having to ride a car, a jeepney, tricycle, a habal-habal, or a bukyo. The heat can be an easy scape goat, but it can be mitigated by landscaping and greening the paths. Urban design by people who know green urban designs.

“Island Attractions” - This is a common mistake in many destinations. Attractions are often treated as unique or stand-alone assets. People tend to forget that an attraction needs to be linked to other sites to make the tourism industry more feasible and sustainable. Want some proof you can easily realize this? Think about this - when you visit Binondo, is it practical to also spend time in Intramuros of even the Arroceros Park?

The sooner the decision makers and site managers appreciate the linkages of the assets into a single district, the sooner the socio-economic benefits will be realized.

Wrong zoning - Nobody’s fault, actually as businesses are set up depending on the opportunity. There is a lack of the ideal mix of tourist accommodation with the attractions and other needs (such as dining places). The obvious places for this should be the Ermita area or parts of Binondo. However, many owners of the properties in Ermita are old folks who just enjoy getting their regular rent income and not pursuing other development initiatives. Sad, really. Maybe the city government can impose tax penalties for no-development? aaarrrghhh…. It has to take some future developers with focus on tourism to change this situation.

Transportation - Walking is still the most practical way to explore the different parts of the Old Manila district. Development efforts to make the walk safe and somehow comfortable will have to be implemented. That would be setting up development standards for arcade-type walkways, paving, and greening the pathways.

In the meantime, there should be a transportation system that would make going around this district feasible. A tranvia-system looks interesting, or a hop-on, hop-off bus/jeepney that runs regularly (and not only when full) should also work.

Criminality - this has to be discussed, isn’t it? But yeah, it will require resources to ensure the safety of every person. But hey, one mall in Metro Manila can have as many as 300,000 shoppers in a single day, and not a single crime would be committed.

River Cruising - many young ones would not believe this, but the Pasig River has actually greatly improved after decades of efforts to clean it up. Perhaps a few more years and it can be a showcase river tourism destination. Just don’t make the cruise to go through the entire length of Pasig River. It is stupid and will definitely not work. There, I said it.

The fences and moats of Intramuros. I may get some “inspired” comments for this. But yes, the fences of Intramuros sort of cuts off the natural movement of tourists in this part of Manila. I will write a more extensive article on this. So, abangan….

In conclusion

You cannot imagine how feasible and ideal recreating this part of the Philippines into a major tourist district. Of course it will not be easy and will require the political will of the local and national leaders, as well as the active buy-in of the stakeholders and investors. But I am sure that if this is done, the Old Manila tourist destination can help define the tourism reputation of the Philppines.