Netizens react to Bianca Gonzalez’s thoughts on expensive domestic travel vs. international trips

Bianca Gonzalez took to social media to air her frustrations about the high cost of domestic travel in the Philippines compared to flying abroad.

On X, the “Pinoy Big Brother” host shared her thoughts in response to lawyer and former COMELEC commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, who first commented on the rising costs of domestic tourism.

“How can you convince Filipinos to travel to other parts of the Philippines when it’s cheaper to fly to Hong Kong, Singapore, or other ASEAN destinations than it is to fly to some tourist destinations in the Philippines?” Larrazabal said.

Bianca agreed. “We booked a trip to Siargao, and it is more expensive than a trip to Hong Kong, Bangkok, or Vietnam,” she wrote.

“Mas mahirap suportahan ang lokal na turismo dahil ang mahal,” the PBB host added.

Her post was met with mixed reactions, with some netizens saying they could relate with Bianca, while others pointing out only certain Philippine tourist spots are expensive.

“Agree! We went to Sagada early January, and we spent P11K for three days, ‘di pa kasama accommodation and airfare,” an X user named @clangaroo wrote.

“Sobrang mahal pa kaysa sa Thailand. When we went there, we only spent P5k in total on food for three days,” she added.

Meanwhile, an X user named @myoung691 said Siargao and Boracay were the only expensive tourist destinations in his opinion, adding that he wished “people would stop generalizing,” as there are many more places to visit in the country beyond the two.

A quick search on Google Flights for travel in February showed airfare ranges of P6,000 to P9,000 for Siargao and P4,000 to P7,000 for Boracay from Manila.

For neighboring countries, round-trip flights from Manila range from P7,000 to P11,000 to Hong Kong, P14,000 to P20,000 to Hanoi, and P10,000 to P15,000 to Bangkok.

Totoo. Bakit ganun. We booked a trip to Siargao and it is more expensive than a trip to Hong Kong, Bangkok, or Vietnam ???? Mas mahirap suportahan ang lokal na turismo dahil ang mahal ???? https://t.co/i3mgSsJU9G

— Bianca Gonzalez Intal (@iamsuperbianca) January 23, 2026

— LA, GMA Integrated News