Today’s traveller is not just looking for beautiful destinations but for meaningful experiences, both of which can be had in El Nido
Even before the pandemic, I was already beginning to see a great shift in the mindset of my generation—a shift from collecting material objects to collecting meaningful experiences. Companies like Airbnb were fast to introduce platforms to not only help connect travellers with their destinations but offer immersive experiences that helped create an awareness of and connection to a sense of place. To some capacity, this made a lot of locals and business owners in booming tourism destinations take an inward look and re-evaluate what they were selling to visitors and how they could authentically promote their cultures and heritage.
For the better part of four years I have made it my work and purpose to do just that—create meaningful and authentic experiences that promote and preserve Filipino culture. Although this is something that was heavily ingrained in me by my mother from a young age, my travels around the Philippines over the last few years have only solidified my love for this country. We have such deep roots of great cultural importance which sadly get covered up all too often and hidden from the purview of tourists. Filipinos have a mindset that western culture is better and more attractive and while this may have had a hand in making us more adaptable, approachable and relatable to tourists, it’s also caused us to shy away from promoting our own culture. This, in a way, was the inspiration behind Kalye Artisano in Lio Beach, El Nido, Palawan.
See Also: Jessica Wilson Recalls Her Magical Trip To Northern Palawan With Fiancé Moritz Gastl
