WITH national borders reopening and global tourism steadily on course for a grand comeback, the local tourism sector is back to its yearly ritual denied by the pandemic years — revelling in the global rankings that say we have the best beaches and dive sites in the world. In the mature, wealthy democracies, stories on amazing tourist destinations — including architectural wonders built during the glory days of the Roman Empire — get a play on Page 30, buried near the obituaries of the obscure and near-famous. Here, in a media context where global concerns have been mostly focused on our education mediocrity, human rights issues and laggard status on critical 21st-century concerns, getting recognized as having the best diving sites and beaches, merited a big page 1 splash. And on social media, tens of thousands of clicks and socmed alleluias.
Beggars can't be choosers. With global acclaim of Philippine excellence in a field that matters often in the territory of slim pickings or zero (across the board, rankings have been unsparingly subpar), there is no reason not to revel in getting global attention for our amazing beaches and diving sites. We have to bask in the little global recognition that we get, even of the cosmetic kind like beaches and dive sites. And even if these are natural wonders untouched by human efforts, genius and creativity. What the heck, we can do TikTok on the fabulous dive sites and beaches. And post the surge and ebb of waves on Instagram a thousand and one times.
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