Kong Research · Edition 2026
Of 367 Philippine tour and activity operators, 31 let customers book directly on their website, 8.4%. Sampled across 8 destinations.
The finding
Diving makes up 37.9% of the Philippine sample, by far the highest share in the region, more than three times Thailand’s. It is also the least bookable category in the country: only 4.3% of dive operators can take a booking online.
That one fact drives most of the national number. The Philippines ranks fifth at 8.4% bookable, but much of the gap to Thailand is about what the country sells, not how well it sells it: diving is the hardest product to buy online everywhere.
Siargao had zero bookable operators out of 27. Only two operators in the whole country run dedicated booking software, 0.5%, the lowest in the study. Yet 9 of 31 bookable operators accept GCash, the second-highest local-payment rate in the region.
Destinations
| Destination | Operators | Bookable | Bookable % | No web presence % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palawan | 93 | 10 | 10.8% | 18.3% |
| Cebu/Mactan | 87 | 9 | 10.3% | 36.8% |
| Bohol | 63 | 4 | 6.3% | 25.4% |
| Boracay | 62 | 3 | 4.8% | 37.1% |
| Siargao | 27 | 0 | 0.0% lowest | 44.4% |
| Siquijor | 23 | 2 | 8.7% | 26.1% |
| Manila | 10 | 3 | 30.0% highest | 20.0% |
| Dumaguete/Apo | 2 | 0 | 0.0% lowest | 50.0% |
Categories
| Category | Operators | Share of market | Bookable | Bookable % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food, culture & workshops | 11 | 3.0% | 3 | 27.3% |
| Attractions & sightseeing | 27 | 7.4% | 5 | 18.5% |
| Outdoor & nature | 42 | 11.4% | 4 | 9.5% |
| Watersports & adrenaline | 32 | 8.7% | 3 | 9.4% |
| Boat tours & cruises | 116 | 31.6% | 10 | 8.6% |
| Diving & snorkelling | 139 | 37.9% | 6 | 4.3% |
Systems
2 of 31 bookable operators run a dedicated booking platform; the rest use general cart or payment software.
| System | Operators |
|---|---|
| WooCommerce | 24 |
| PayPal | 5 |
| Bokun | 2 |
Payment
9 of 31 bookable operators accept a local payment method (GCash). The rest are card-only.
Questions
8.4%: 31 of 367 classified Philippine tour and activity operators let customers book directly on their website. A further 152 have a website that cannot take a booking, 75 have only a social media profile, and 109 have no web presence at all.
WooCommerce on 24, PayPal on 5, Bokun on 2. Dedicated booking platforms reach 2 operators, 0.5% of the Philippine sample. Most bookable operators use general shopping-cart software rather than proper reservation software.
9 of 31 bookable Philippine operators accept a local payment method such as GCash. The remainder are card-only, which in practice means selling to international travellers rather than domestic ones.
109 of 367, or 29.7%. Online presence (a website or a social profile) reaches 70.3% of Philippine operators.
Mostly by message. Of Philippine operators with a working website but no online checkout, 30.8% list WhatsApp as their booking channel. Across the country 45 operators use WhatsApp as their only route to a booking.
Continue
Up to the full report: The State of Tour Operator Bookability in Southeast Asia · Next: Vietnam · Indonesia
Percentages are of classified operators. 23 Philippine operators were excluded as unresolved (site blocked or misconfigured, not dead).
"Bookable" means a date-selection widget alongside a booking platform, payment gateway or cart on the operator's own site. It measures capability, not usage.
Data CC BY 4.0. Kong sells booking software to tour operators; see the hub for the full disclosure. · bookwithkong.com