Siargao's tourism boom is pricing out the locals: studio rents hit 35,000 pesos and visitors outnumber residents almost four to one

Is Siargao becoming too expensive for its own people? For many residents, yes. The southeastern Philippine island, once a quiet surf haven, received 557,094 tourists in 2024, nearly four times its population of 145,806, and in its main tourist town a small studio apartment can now cost 35,000 pesos, about 550 dollars, a month, comparable to prices in major Philippine cities, CNA reported.

The boom has created jobs and turned local surfers into international names. Earlier this month Siargao hosted its first World Surf League Championship Tour event at its famous Cloud 9 break. But residents, including indigenous Lumad families, say they are being priced out of places their families have lived for generations, while waste piles up and most of the island's food is shipped in.

From fishing village to global hotspot

A decade ago, Siargao was a sleepy island known mainly to dedicated surfers drawn to its powerful Pacific swells. Professional surfer John Mark Tokong, known as Marama, remembers a childhood when families fished and farmed rice to get by. "Growing up here, a long time ago, not much business," he told CNA. "If we didn't have food, we'd go fishing."

As the island became easier to reach, a tourism boom fuelled by social media followed. In 2019, readers of Conde Nast Traveler voted Siargao the world's best island, ahead of Bali and Bora Bora, and arrivals reached 257,900 that year. The pandemic and Super Typhoon Rai in 2021 interrupted growth, but arrivals surged past half a million in 2023 and reached 557,094 in 2024.

Much of the activity is concentrated in General Luna, where a stretch called Tourism Road is packed with restaurants, bars, accommodation and shops. The island's surf, with waves for every level from beginners to professionals, remains the main draw, and its most famous break, Cloud 9, is known worldwide for powerful, barrelling waves.

The cost of paradise for residents

For residents, success has a price. As corporate groups and foreign backed developers compete to buy or lease land for resorts and tourism businesses, property values have climbed, pushing up rents and the cost of everyday goods. Rising transport, fuel and operating costs have forced local eateries, known as carinderias, to raise prices.

Maria Tokong, a musician, cultural activist and community organiser whose family descends from Siargao's indigenous settlers, fears the Lumad are being pushed out. "Lately, the new businesses and events coming into our island seem to exclude the Lumads entirely," she said. "It feels like almost all the services, or at least the vast majority, are no longer meant for us, especially now that everything has become so unaffordable."

Those pressures come as the wider Philippine economy struggles. Growth slowed to 2.1 percent in the third quarter, the weakest since the pandemic, and inflation has eaten into household incomes, as we reported in our analysis of the Philippine slowdown. For families outside the tourism economy, rising local prices compound a national squeeze.

Siargao sold the world a quiet island. Now the world has arrived, and the people who made it special are struggling to afford to stay.

Who benefits from the boom

Tourism has created real opportunities. Local surf coach Rafael Nogalo has built a livelihood teaching visitors. "For beginners, the moment they catch their first wave and I hear them scream and raise their hands, is the best reward ever," he said. Filipino French entrepreneur Christophe Bariou owns a boutique resort, a restaurant and a coconut milk brand that employ dozens of residents, though he calls the boom "a double edged sword".

Marama's career shows what is possible. At the World Surf League event at Cloud 9 this month, he became the first Filipino to secure a main event wildcard for the Championship Tour and pulled off an opening round upset against Brazil's world number 11 Samuel Pupo, although he did not win the event.

But the gains are uneven. Mark Pintucan and Iris Aroa, who moved to the island about a decade ago and founded the non profit Lokal Lab, found that more than 90 percent of the island's produce was imported, driving up food prices while local growers struggled to sell to the tourism market. "It's how much the investors are taking versus what the workers can take back home. That difference is growing. If nothing changes in that, the community will be kicked out," Pintucan said.

What local governments are doing

Officials acknowledge the affordability problem. General Luna is strengthening price monitoring for basic commodities and exploring longer term solutions. "We want to buy properties for the local government, maybe farther from the town, so we can build some facilities or socialised housing for people," said Vice Mayor Romina Rusillon Sajulga.

Waste is another challenge. The surge in visitors has generated more rubbish, straining collection systems and raising the risk of pollution in surrounding waters. "Because we're a coastal island, waste can easily wash straight into the ocean," said Gina Barquilla, who heads the environment office in Del Carmen. With open dumps banned and the coastal environment ruling out a sanitary landfill, the town relies on waste segregation, a materials recovery facility, composting and a machine that turns some plastics into fuel.

Lokal Lab is trying to keep more money on the island by connecting farmers and fisherfolk with businesses and consumers through a market hub, training in regenerative agroforestry and help registering small enterprises. Responses like these include:

• price monitoring for basic goods in General Luna
• plans for land and social housing away from the tourist centre
• waste segregation and recycling facilities in Del Carmen
• programmes linking local producers to the tourism market

What it means for Philippine and Southeast Asian tourism

Siargao's story is familiar across the region. Bali, Boracay and parts of Thailand have faced the same pattern: rapid growth driven by social media, rising land prices, pressure on water and waste systems, and tensions between visitors and residents. Boracay was closed for six months in 2018 for an environmental clean up, a reminder of how far problems can go if unmanaged. Thailand, meanwhile, is moving ahead with a tourist entry fee, as we reported in our analysis of Thailand's departure tax and entry fee plans.

For the Philippines, tourism is a vital source of jobs and foreign exchange, especially as other parts of the economy slow. Destinations like Siargao can help spread tourism beyond Manila and Cebu, but only if growth is managed so that residents share the benefits and the environment that attracts visitors survives.

For travellers, the practical message is to choose locally owned accommodation and restaurants, respect local communities and dispose of waste responsibly. Bariou put the challenge simply: development will come regardless, so sustainability and giving back to the community must be built in from the start.

Siargao's waves made it famous, and its popularity is now testing whether the island can stay home to the people who made it special. Rents, imported food and waste are the price of success, and local officials and community groups are only beginning to respond. How the island balances growth and fairness will shape whether its boom lasts.