When you saw the title you might have thought it was Flipbait. While lots of foreign vloggers are coming to the Philippines, you might not know that many are actually leaving. I'll explain why later. But the big question is, why are they leaving? It's surprising because the Philippines has always been a great place for foreign vloggers. What could be causing them to leave? Which foreign vloggers have left the Philippines? I'll address all these questions as I go along. But first, let's address the question, why foreign vloggers lock to the Philippines in the first place? Let me take a guess at what cross your mind when I ask that question and correct me if I'm wrong. The first thing you thought of was probably Philippine reviewers and you're correct, but not exactly. That's not the only thing. Now let me take another guess. You probably thought about the affordability of living in the Philippines and you're partially right. The Philippines is cheaper compared to western countries, but it varies depending on where you reside in the Philippines. Take for instance rent in BGC, which can be costly. While living expenses outside Metro Manila might be comparatively lower priced, can affordability be the primary reason why foreign vloggers come to the Philippines? I don't think so because living costs in most Southeast Asian countries are somewhat reasonable. Even though they may be cheaper in the Philippines, but that's what I think. What do you think? We are all aware of the obvious reasons, like low costs of living and the ability for most Filipinos to speak at least basic English. Even tricycle drivers can chat easily with foreigners and of course it's simple to date Filipinos in the Philippines. One less obvious reason is wanting approval from foreigners. Filipinos like hearing compliments about the Philippines. Even if they realize foreign vloggers might be stretching the truth or faking, but it still makes them feel good about themselves, so they don't mind. And to be fair is not just limited to Filipinos. It's a human nature. In general, we are social creatures. We enjoy being recognized and praised. Another reason is that overseas Filipinos workers. Around the world feel joy when they see their hometowns featured on YouTube, especially by foreign vloggers. Additionally they might watch travel vlogs to alleviate homesickness and feel connected to their province. Someone made an interesting point that many Filipinos don't have the money, free time, skills or connections, to become successful vloggers. Reating quality content requires skill and effort, which takes time to develop. They also need good equipment and internet access for uploading. Viewers expect a certain level of quality before they consider content worth their time. Vlogs are usually 10 to 30 minutes long, which is a big time commitment for most people. Do you agree with what this person said? Let us know. It's quite common to come across videos of creators quitting YouTube, and it's understandable given the challenges of consistently producing content, especially for those who rely solely on YouTube for income. I'm sure you know that creating content comes with many challenges, especially for foreign vloggers and the Philippines. Challenges like consistency, maintaining a regular upload schedule can be challenging, especially when balancing other commitments like work or school. Engagements, engaging with the audience involves keeping them interested by responding to comments, getting likes and shares. In the Philippines, some viewers subscribe to foreign vloggers to show support, but they don't often interact much. It seems Filipino appreciate foreign vloggers and show support by subscribing, but they might not comment or engage frequently. Other challenges competition. Competition is tough because there are so many creators trying to get viewers attention. You've probably noticed more foreign vloggers in the Philippines, even though many are just tourists. They come here because they see that other vloggers who visited the Philippines got a lot of subscribers. Quickly. The most difficult challenge for foreign vloggers in the Philippines is burnout. Being motivated and passionate about making content for a long time can be tough and it can cause burnout for some creators. Not all vloggers face the same challenges. It depends on the type of content you create. For example, if you make informative vlogs like this one, it's harder because you need to do lots of research, write scripts and edit. All vlogs on the other hand are easier since you just need a camera and create content on the go. You might be thinking, these reasons are not strong enough to make vloggers leave the Philippines. After all, all creators face challenges whether they are in the Philippines or elsewhere. And you're right. Now let's discuss why foreign vloggers are leaving the Philippines. Some are even quitting YouTube altogether. This is because they've built a large subscriber base of Filipinos who are mostly interested in content about the Philippines. So when these vloggers leave the Philippines and start creating content about other countries, they are less likely to get views. If you look at foreign vloggers who have a big following of Filipino subscribers and then start making content outside the Philippines, you'll see a significant decrease in views. Foreign vloggers are leaving the Philippines because there is tough competition. Especially in personal vlogs. Since most of them make similar content like travel vlogs, it's difficult to attract viewers. Only visit the same tourist spots in the Philippines, like Palawan. In other words, Filipino viewers are used to watching the same vlogs repeatedly. That's why it's difficult to get views. This is just my personal view and everyone may have different opinions. Do you find this a convincing explanation for why foreign vloggers are leaving the Philippines? Another reason is inflation. And simply means the study rise in the prices of goods and services. But how does inflation affect foreign vloggers? Between rent, utilities, groceries and transportation and other essentials, the money earned from vlogging early lasts a month. Especially if YouTube is your sole income. And with the rising cost of living, it's becoming nearly impossible to sustain a vlogging career in the Philippines. Because there are many other popular vloggers already. So it's hard for new ones to get sponsorships. Finally, the biggest reason why foreign vloggers are leaving the Philippines is taxes. The BIR or Bureau of Internal Revenue introduce a new law that requires foreign vloggers to pay taxes. This law is called Section 23 of the National Internal Revenue Code. Or NIRC, it explains that people who live in the Philippines and local businesses must pay taxes on all the money they earn, whether it's from inside or outside the country. Meanwhile, people who are not from the Philippines but earn money from sources within the country, as well as local businesses also need to pay taxes. The law also talked about social media influences who are not companies or partnerships. It said they're considered as individuals, work for themselves or run their own business. So the money they make from their work is seen as business income. It's a business essential. When there is less money coming from adsense, prices going up because of inflation and the need to pay taxes, foreign vloggers have no option but to leave the Philippines. What's your opinion on these reasons? Do you believe that many foreign vloggers are leaving the Philippines because of them?