The majority of individuals in Manila wear T-shirts and jeans, speak English, read and write in Roman type, and do not feel at ease using chopsticks. Manila is noted for being a city where the ancient and modern coexist. Spanish colonial churches, old-fashioned museums, and neo-classical structures coexist with contemporary retail malls, fashionable art museums, and glass-stained skyscrapers. Its combination of urban growth and historical history has given Manila a distinct and appealing image.
Tourism is an important sector in Manila, which receives over 1 million visitors each year. The walled city of Intramuros, the National Theater at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila Ocean Park, Binondo, Ermita, Malate, Manila Zoo, National Museum of the Philippines, and Rizal Park are all popular tourist attractions.
Intramuros is Manila’s historic district. Originally, it was thought to be Manila itself under the Spanish Empire’s colonial administration of the Philippines. Intramuros and Rizal Park have been selected as flagship destinations to become tourist business zones under the Tourism Act of 2009.
Intramuros’ design incorporates both the Spanish colonial and American neoclassical architectural styles, since the Philippines was a colony of both Spain and the United States until gaining independence in 1946. Kalesa is a common method of transportation in Intramuros and its surrounding areas, including Binondo, Ermita, and Rizal Park.
The Baluarte de San Diego, Club Intramuros Golf Course, Cuartel de Santa Lucia, Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, Palacio Arzobispal, Palacio de Santa Potenciana, Palacio del Gobernador, Plaza Mexico, Plaza de Roma, San Agustin Church, and the Ayuntamiento de Manila are all popular tourist destinations in Intramuros.
Manila is the country’s well-known retail centre, and it has been rated one of the top shopping destinations in Asia. In Manila, major retail malls, marketplaces, and bazaars flourish.
Robinsons Place Manila is the city’s biggest retail mall. The mall was John Gokongwei’s second and, by far, the biggest Robinson Mall ever constructed. SM Supermall continues to have a presence in the city. One of its retail malls is SM City Manila, the city’s first SM Supermall, which houses prominent SM brands such as The SM Store, SM Supermarket, SM Cinemas, and SM Foodcourt. It is situated next to the Manila City Hall. SM City San Lazaro is Manila’s second SM Supermall. It may be found in Santa Cruz. The old San Lazaro Hippodrome served as the foundation for SM City San Lazaro. The old Manila Royal Hotel in Quiapo, famous for its spinning restaurant above, is now the SM Clearance Center, which opened in 1972. The first SM Store opened on Carlos Palanca Sr. (previously Echague) Street in San Miguel.
Quiapo is known as the “Old Downtown,” and it is filled with tiangges, marketplaces, boutique shops, music and electronics businesses. C.M. Recto Avenue is home to a slew of department retailers. Divisoria, one of Recto Avenue’s most well-known destinations, is home to several of the city’s retail centers. It is also known as the Philippines’ shopping mecca, since everything is offered at a discount. Binondo, the world’s oldest Chinatown,[26] is the city’s hub of commerce and trade for all sorts of companies managed by Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs, with a diverse selection of Chinese and Filipino stores and eateries.