Pre-new year void

The internet is bursting with threads and memes declaring that we are currently in a void. It is that strange, in-between space where Christmas has ended, the decorations are still up, and we are unsure of what to do with the remaining days before 2026 arrives. Time feels suspended. Productivity is low. Expectations are blurred. Unfortunately for me, I was sucked into that void and made a spontaneous decision to travel to our neighboring province of Bohol. In short, I turned to tourism as an escape.

This was not new to me. I have traveled often, written about places, and observed how tourism shapes local economies and identities. This time, the experience felt different --less romantic, more jarring. Perhaps it was the timing, or perhaps it was the growing realization that something has shifted in how we package and sell our destinations.

I would like to think that one of the country’s strongest assets is its ability to bring in tourists. We pride ourselves on hospitality, on being warm, welcoming, and accessible. Yet my recent experience was rather bleak. It was marred by overpriced tricycle rides negotiated like foreign currency exchanges, and meals that felt chosen not for locals but for outsiders with spending power. I found myself calculating costs more than savoring moments, constantly aware that I was being charged not as a Filipino, but as a foreign visitor.

At one point, it dawned on me that I felt like a foreigner in my own country. Panglao, especially on the Tawala side, seems to be built almost exclusively for foreigners. Menus cater to Western palates. Prices assume foreign wallets. The spaces feel detached from the everyday realities of the communities that surround them. It is tourism thriving, yes but I wonder for whom.

There is a quiet sadness in seeing a destination lose its sense of balance. Tourism, when unchecked, becomes extractive. It takes culture, land, and labor, then repackages them into consumable experiences, often leaving locals priced out of their own spaces. What should feel familiar instead becomes transactional. No wonder other Southeast Asian countries are doing better than us. They are real and authentic.

Still, not everything was lost to that void. I did enjoy the boat rides to Balicasag. Out at sea, away from curated resorts and commercial strips, the experience felt honest. Swimming with the turtles was the best part. There was no script, no extravagant price list attached to wonder. Just the quiet awe of sharing space with something ancient and unbothered by our calendars, our seasons, or our collective restlessness.

Perhaps that is why people travel during the void. This is to be reminded of something real before the year ends. I know I did. However, if tourism continues to drift further away from the people it is meant to uplift, then even these escapes may soon feel empty or at its losing end. More than the pre-new year lull, this is the real void we should be worried about. The more our operators “win” with the extra bucks they earn, our reputation as a destination “loses” as well.