Manila and Cebu City lost ground in the 2026 Global Tourism City Attractiveness Index, underscoring the challenge facing the Philippines as Southeast Asian rivals strengthen their appeal to international travelers.
The latest index released by Korea-based Yanolja Research ranked Manila 91st among 150 tourism cities worldwide, a sharp drop from 69th last year. Cebu City slid even further, falling to 104th from 73rd in 2025, although it remained close to its 2024 ranking of 102nd.
Manila earned an overall score of 3.833, placing it in Tier 2, while Cebu City scored 3.502 to land in Tier 3.
The results highlight intensifying competition across the region, where destinations are investing heavily in tourism infrastructure, digital marketing and visitor experiences to capture the post-pandemic travel boom.
Unlike conventional tourism rankings that rely on visitor arrivals or industry statistics, the Global Tourism City Attractiveness Index measures how travelers perceive destinations by analyzing millions of online mentions and sentiment across social media and digital platforms. The index was developed by Yanolja Research in partnership with Purdue University’s Center for Hospitality and Retail Industries Business Analytics and Kyung Hee University’s H&T Analytics Center.
The rankings reflect both a city’s global visibility and the emotional response it generates among travelers, offering a real-time snapshot of destination appeal.
Bangkok remained Southeast Asia’s tourism powerhouse, ranking eighth globally, followed by Singapore at 12th and Chiang Mai at 27th. Bali placed 43rd, while Vietnam placed three cities in the upper half of the rankings, with Da Nang at 55th, Phuket at 58th, Nha Trang at 72nd and Ho Chi Minh City at 85th.
Despite the decline, Manila and Cebu still outperformed Kuala Lumpur, which ranked 108th and was the only Southeast Asian city in the index to place below both Philippine cities.
The latest rankings suggest the Philippines will need to sharpen its tourism strategy, improve visitor experience and strengthen destination branding if it hopes to regain momentum in an increasingly competitive regional tourism market.
